


Four Corners

by BettyHT



Series: Rosalie [1]
Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 05:00:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16381898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: 1st story in the Rosalie series.  Ben begins to understand that changes need to be made in how the family runs the Ponderosa. The changes won't be easy for him, but they are necessary, and he has to hope that they're enough to hold the family together.





	Four Corners

Four Corners

Chapter 1

"Nah, your Joe will always be the son who needs his father. There ain't nothing in the world gonna drag him away from you. It's the other two you need to be thinking on more." Ben had walked into Sheriff Roy Coffee's office looking upset, and it was clear after only a few comments that he was most upset with his sons and worrying about them.

"Hoss would never leave the Ponderosa."

"Now, I wouldn't be too sure on that. He's a man of strong emotions. I know he loves you and his brothers, but he has needs too, and ifn he needed something that wasn't here, well, he might just mosey on over to where it is."

"You're talking about that woman in California, aren't you? The one Hoss met after the trail drive last year? Well, I told him he gets to travel to visit her when he has time, but we have a lot of work to do on the ranch, and he hasn't been able to get away lately."

"Or rather, you seen to it that he couldn't." That got a glower but not a denial. "Ben, I think you're making a mistake there. Hoss is a good judge of character. If he thinks she's worth chasing after, then I got to think he might be right."

"He wasn't right about Helen Layton. Anyone can make a mistake."

"No, anyone could, but Hoss wanted to save Helen. He knew she needed it. It was only that she didn't want saving. You can't help someone who ain't ready to be helped. Now this gal seems like she can handle herself pretty darn well from what I hear. She don't need no saving, and by keeping them apart, you might just see Hoss get pulled away from ya."

"She has a child and no husband. That worries me. Hoss has had his heart broken too much to go through another mess."

"Now from what I hear, she was only just barely sixteen when she had that boy. Ben, you must remember being young and in love. She was one of the unlucky ones especially when the boy didn't stand by her. It takes two. Hoss would be a good father to that boy right about now when he really needs one."

"Who have you been talking to? It must be someone in whom Hoss would confide. He hasn't said anything to me about him thinking he might marry her." Ben paused and thought only a moment as Roy didn't answer. "It was Adam, wasn't it? He's been doing everything he can lately to go against whatever I want. Tarnation, I don't know what's gotten into that boy anyhow. It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that he's been putting some of these ideas into Hoss' head."

"Now I think you got to give Hoss more credit than that. He can think on his own."

"Thinking! It seems that my boys have been doing way too much of that lately."

"Now I talk about your 'boys' too, but when you say it, well, Ben, it sounds as if you don't see 'em as men."

"Of course they're men. I know that. But I am still their father and I still run the Ponderosa. Everyone needs to remember that."

"Especially Adam?"

"Yes, especially Adam. I can't turn around lately without him suggesting some new thing we ought to try, and when he isn't, Hoss is."

"Well, they done helped you build that ranch of yours, didn't they? I mean, those boys had a lot of responsibility when they was real young."

Warming to the subject, Ben remembered and his voice took on an almost wistful quality. "Yes, they did. Adam wandered with me for a number of years. He took care of himself, and then he took care of Hoss. The two of them helped me take care of Little Joe when Marie died."

"They worked side-by-side with you then, didn't they, especially Adam?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I gave him too much responsibility when he was young. He had to grow up so fast. I'm glad that he got to go away to college. It gave him a chance to experience a bit of life that he was denied when he was younger."

"Did it? I mean, didn't you say that he finished his course of study in only three years and then he came back here to work on building that ranch with you again working side-by-side. Seems all he knows how to do is work. He's been a loyal son and a lot more to you for a long time."

Feeling reassured of his son's love by Roy's observations, Ben looked toward the wall without seeing anything as memories were jogged in his mind. "Yes, he was more of a partner and a friend sometimes than he was a son. I talked to him as a man long before he was one. I leaned on him and drew on his strength when mine wasn't enough." Ben was remembering especially those times first when Inger was killed and then when Marie died in an accident. He almost shuddered wondering what would have happened if Adam hadn't been there to help him.

"Yes, he gave advice, worked hard, supported you, and helped build that ranch. He was your partner and your friend. But now when you disagree with him, you want him to buckle under to your authority. You want to treat him just like any one of your cowhands." Ben began to bristle so Roy knew he needed to hurry to finish what he had wanted to say. "Hoss might get pulled away by his heart ifn you keep trying to hold him back from what he wants most, but Adam is being pushed away by you cause of how you treat him."

"I'm not forbidding Hoss to go see her, and I don't treat Adam any differently than I treat Hoss and Joe."

"Oh, but Ben, you do by making it near on impossible for Hoss to get away to see her. Now seems to me, you'd be right mad if anyone tried to dictate who you was to see. As for Adam, you do treat him different than the other two or at least you used to, and now you're trying to treat him differently than you always did. Joe grew up working for you so that comes natural to him. Hoss was still real young when he started working but the ranch was already pretty big when he started taking on work like a man too, and you and Adam guided him along. But Adam had already been working for quite a while before Hoss did, and that much longer before Joe did. He had responsibility for his brothers and then work to do to help build up the Ponderosa. You trusted him and depended on him. Now, what happened to change all that?"

Not knowing whether to explode in anger at having his position questioned or to confide in his old friend, Ben sat and stared for a time. Roy was exceptionally good at waiting when someone was thinking. He said nothing as he watched Ben's expressions subtly change indicating that he was thinking not only about what Roy had said but about how to respond to it.

"I got old."

"Ben, now, you ain't old. I'm older than you, and I still can do my job. I got Clem taking over more of the responsibilities cause I know darn well that someday I won't be able to do this job no more, at least not the way it rightly ought to be done. But until then, it's my job to do, and part of doing it is getting somebody ready to take over when I'm ready to retire. Now, can't you do the same?"

"So you're saying that I ought to hand over some responsibility to Adam but let him know that I'm still the final say when there's a dispute. He's been itching to do more with our lumber mill. Now that's something I never did do much with. He could take that over and keep himself busy with projects and finding ways to do things his way without butting heads with me. I suppose I ought to find some ways to free up some of Hoss' time too and hand off some responsibility to him. We do have some business concerns that take one of us to California regularly. I could have Hoss do some of that. With Adam busy with projects, someone else would need to go more often anyway. If Hoss makes more trips and Adam has projects to do, Joe would have to work more closely with me on the other ranch business. I think he'd like that too. Roy, I have to thank you for making all those suggestions. I think my family will be better for it."

"Well, I don't rightly remember saying all those things, but ifn you want to give me credit, now I ain't about to say no."

"Could I buy you a beer or some lunch?"

"Well, now, I'm on duty so a beer wouldn't look right, but now lunch I gotta have so I wouldn't mind at all ifn you was to invite me over to that new café that just opened."

"I've heard the food is very good there. We might even run into the boys. They came to town with me as we all needed a break, and every one of them said they had errands to run."

"Well, my guess would be that some of those errands had a frothy top on 'em and a few others might be wearing a long skirt."

"Roy, sometimes, I think you know my boys as well as I do."

"Ben, them boys of yours are the closest thing I have to having some of my own. I seen 'em all grow up, and now I see them as fine upstanding men. You got a right to be proud of those boys."

When Roy and Ben arrived at the restaurant, Joe and Hoss were already seated and looking glum. The two older men joined the two younger ones who had not yet been served. Hoss seemed especially depressed, but the usually irrepressible Joe was quiet and frowning as well.

"What's wrong, and where's Adam?"

Joe answered first. "He's over at the mercantile yet, and he can stay there for all I care."

"What happened?"

"Hoss can tell you. I'm too mad yet."

Hoss appeared unwilling to talk. "Son, if you don't tell me what happened, I can't help you with it. Now, Joe wants you to tell it, or would you rather I hear his version of events?"

'Well, you see, Pa, you can't help us with it. I mean that Adam had every right to say no. It's just that we needed his help, and he wouldn't do it."

"You needed his help and he wouldn't do it? That doesn't sound much like your brother."

Joe was ready to add details then but it wasn't any clearer to Ben when he did. "It wasn't just that he said no. It was how he said no. He was kind of insulting to us."

Looking over at Roy who had a small smirk, Ben directed his next comment to him. "Now you can see why I feel old. You can step in any time you would wish to and try to guess what these two are talking about."

"Pa, Joe and me done told ya. We asked Adam for help, and he said no, but he kinda insulted us some when he done it."

Inhaling deeply and then exhaling forcefully, Ben was exasperated. "Help with what? And why did he say no? And why did you think that was insulting?"

"Gees, Pa, you don't have to get mad at Hoss and me just because we're mad at Adam."

"Joseph, I do enough verbal sparring with Adam. I don't appreciate more from you and Hoss. Now answer my questions with clear and complete answers." Those bunched brows over the glowering eyes let them know their father wasn't being put off by any of their delaying tactics.

"Well, Pa, me and Joe got kinda tricked into this here bet."

"Bet?"

"Yeah, you see, we ran into the Mortons down at the livery stable. They said some insulting things about our horses and said they couldn't beat a draft horse that had been put out to pasture. They said that Cochise couldn't even decide on what color to be. Well, we got kinda mad, and I said we could outrun their horses any day of the week. Then that was it."

"It? You haven't explained 'it' yet."

"Pa, I think I can explain what Hoss didn't yet."

"Oh, you do, do you. Please, do then because he hasn't explained anything yet."

"Well, when Hoss said that, they challenged the three of us to a race. They said the three Morton brothers would race the three Cartwright brothers, and the losers pay three hundred dollars to the winners. That's a hundred dollars each."

"You let yourself get suckered into making a ridiculous bet?"

"Well, Pa, you see, Joe and me didn't think it was such a terrible bet. Every year in the Founders' Day race, Joe and Adam both always come in ahead of those Mortons. I never raced, but Chubb could keep up with 'em just fine, I bet."

Beginning to understand, Ben nodded. "And Adam said he wouldn't do it?"

"That's right, Pa. When Hoss told him, he said he didn't want to get into some childish game risking his neck and his horse for only a hundred dollars. Pa, he called us childish. That's pretty insulting, don't you think?"

Wanting to disagree with that statement but unwilling to risk any more anger from his two younger sons, Ben could only fight the smile he felt coming on. He knew Roy was already smiling so he didn't dare look at him. "How did you appeal to Adam?"

"Well, Hoss asked him right out to be a brother and help us. He wouldn't. If it's the two of us against the three of them, we'll have to ride half a race each and they only have to ride a third each. We might lose then, and it would be one hundred fifty each that we would have to pay out."

"Now, to Adam, a hundred dollars is probably not as much of an incentive as it is to you two."

"Incendiave? Pa, we didn't mean to start no fire."

"No, Hoss, incentive; a reason to do something. Adam won't do this for money. You have to appeal to things that he finds important."

"What's that?"

"Hoss, Adam values intelligence, honesty, respect, and quite often the opinion of a pretty lady. Now, I still think it's a terrible idea, but if you're sure you want to do it, then you have to appeal to Adam in ways he can be influenced."

Snapping his fingers, Joe turned to Hoss. "Thanks, Pa. We'll go talk with that lady at the mercantile as soon as we finish lunch. Then we'll talk to Adam too. Right, Hoss?"

"Huh?"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Joe, you done said those things to me so often, I can never believe 'em."

"This time, you need to trust me. I got this idea, and we can talk it over after lunch before we see Adam."

With their spirits boosted by their father's advice and the optimism they felt that they could get Adam to agree, Joe and Hoss ate fast even though Hoss of course ate considerably more. Then the two brothers headed out on their mission. Roy looked over at Ben.

"Looks like you got a reprieve, but don't let it make you think you don't have to do the things we discussed earlier. This race will be over and done with soon enough, but them other things will still be there."

Not appreciating the tone of Roy's remarks, Ben still had to accept that he was correct. He nodded. He would have some time to think through how to approach doing what he had told Roy he would do, and in his heart, what he knew he had to do.

Chapter 2

"Hoss, that gal over at the mercantile is one I've had my eye on for a while. She tries to be a bit standoffish with me, but I know she likes me. Now Adam probably doesn't stand a chance with her no matter how much time he spends with her, but she likes me well enough already that I think she'll do a favor for us. I'll ask her to support us when we talk to Adam about that race again. You just have to distract him for long enough for me to get a good chance to talk with her."

"How am I gonna do that ifn he's talking up that gal? You know how he hates to be interrupted when he's a doing that."

"Tell him that Pa wants him or something."

"But Pa don't want him so he'll know I'm lying ifn I tell him that."

"All right, I'll distract him, but you be sure to talk to Joelle then. Tell her that I really need her help with this one. That will do the trick."

As Joe turned to head to the mercantile, he missed that small smile Hoss had. Hoss was going to get to talk to Joelle, and Joe was the one Adam would be mad at if anyone. Hoss figured it was Joe's big plan so he ought to do the hard part. Once they arrived at the store, Joe walked directly up to Adam who was leaning against a bookcase that Joelle was organizing with the latest arrivals.

"Adam, I thought you would be long gone by now after what those Morton brothers said. I can't believe you're still in town after those insults. I know Pa don't like us fighting, and I figure that's why you didn't go after them for what they said, but aren't you the least embarrassed to be in town with those things being repeated about you and all?"

"Ah, what things, Joe?"

"Oh, I thought Hoss mentioned those earlier. Well, I almost hate to repeat them because surely I don't want you mad at me about them."

"What things, Joe?"

"Well that they said they wouldn't want you in the race cause you'd find a way to cheat even if you weren't smart enough to get away with it. Why, they said Sport was the sorriest ugliest example of a horse they ever saw, and that it was a good thing he was gelded so he couldn't spread none of that around. Now as long as that didn't upset you at all, you can help me pick out the tools for the roundup and the drive. Pa wants two good short handled shovels and a new axe for the chuck wagon. A nice big new and much bigger cast iron fry pan would be good too if there's one in stock."

"Joe, the roundup is a month away yet. Can't it wait?"

"Now, Adam, what would you say if I said something like that to you when there were jobs to be done? Besides, I have to do this after what Pa said about the three of us racing the Mortons."

"Oh, what did Pa say?"

"He said it was a ridiculous bet. I don't think he thinks we can win. I told him we could, but of course if you aren't helping, we might not. Then Pa would be right again. Anyway, I don't want to give him anything else to criticize."

With a roll of his eyes and an apology to Joelle for the interruption, Adam promised to be back as he headed to the tools and utensils section of the store. Hoss used that opportunity to come over and ask Joelle to help convince Adam to be in the race.

"He'd be mighty proud to win that race in front of you. Why, don't you think that would be something having both my brothers running that race just so you could see 'em win? I was wondering if maybe you could tell Adam you thought it would be a good idea for him to ride that race with us?"

"Hoss, you're so sweet. Of course, how could I say no to you? I'll do my best."

Thinking their work was done, Hoss and Joe headed out to get their horses and wait for Adam. They were hoping he would be there soon to tell them he would ride the race with them. In the store, Joelle had to chuckle once Hoss and Joe were gone.

"Well, Adam, you were right again. They came here to get me to help convince you to ride. That story of Joe's was very funny. It was as if he was reading the script you wrote. How do you know your brothers so well?"

"I've had a lot of practice."

"They certainly are an interesting pair. Joe is such a smooth talker."

"Yes, he is, and remember that when he tries to talk you into anything else. Now for a short time, I would like to keep talking with you. I don't want them to think they convinced me that easily.

"Now I know nothing they said convinced you to do it unless it was because your father doesn't want you to do it. Is it to irritate your father? I'm assuming that he doesn't like horse racing because of the accident that happened to his third wife, Joe's mother."

"No, he doesn't like it more because he doesn't like gambling, and doing things like having races in general. Those are the things that would bother him more. The danger will make him worry, but lots of things make him worry. He sees what could go wrong that it stops him from trying new things or taking any kind of chance."

"And you like to be the rebel and do it your own way even when he doesn't like it or perhaps especially when he doesn't like it. There must be another way."

"I've tried to find other ways. I've tried every way that I can think to argue, cajole, or logically convince him to try some new or more modern things, but he won't agree. The choices I'm left with are to stay and put up with how things are or leave and seek my own way."

"You don't like either of those, do you?"

"I assume that was a rhetorical question. I don't want to leave my family, but if I'm so unhappy here, it's like being gone anyway. I lost a draw once on purpose so that they would all go to San Francisco and leave me alone for a time. It left me with a lot of work, but it was invigorating not to have to answer to anyone for a few weeks at least."

"How did you lose on purpose?"

"It was a test. You each get a match, light it, and the first one to drop it stays home. If you wet your fingers before you pick up your match, it burns slower. I taught Joe the trick, but didn't use it myself that time even though it looked like I had. I assume that Joe did his best to teach the trick to Hoss. As soon as Hoss started getting ready to drop his, I dropped mine. Then I had to act all put out about it and complain. They wouldn't have bought it otherwise. Besides, they felt guilty leaving me with all the work and alone, so when they got back, they were very cooperative and even volunteered to do some of the dirty jobs. It was wonderful."

"I can tell you love your family. The way you talk about them tells me you care about them very much. You get a special look in your eye when you think about them. Why would you even consider leaving?"

"When I'm unhappy, I get, ah, a bit snappy, or to be honest, probably a bit worse than that. I would make their lives miserable if I stayed and continued to feel the way that I do. Now, how about you? How long are you going to let my little brother hang before you tell him how you feel?"

"How did you know that?"

"We're friends, and I know that's all it is. You look at Joe with a different kind of expression. It's guarded so that he doesn't see it, but you like him a lot. You know he likes you by how often he's hanging around the store, so why not let him know?"

"He's a fun-loving man with so much energy, and I would love to be with him, but so many ladies like him, and he likes them. I'm afraid I would only be one of many. That's not something I want to be."

"My little brother can be more discerning than you credit him. If you are the one he wants, he'll commit to you."

"Yes, but for how long? That's what worries me the most. So, for now, we'll talk, we'll flirt a little, but that's all there is."

"You'll let him think that there's more between us than friendship then, and he'll do all he can to win you away from me. It's quite a game you've got going."

"Isn't that what life is?"

"You and Joe are well-matched. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Now, Joelle, it's time for me to go out and grudgingly agree to help my brothers."

"For some favors at a future date?"

"Of course. If they want to play, they have to pay. When I do see them, Joe's bound to ask if you said anything about him. I'll have to admit we talked about him, but that's all I'll say. His curiosity will bring him here when he can't fight it any more. You can decide how much to say about what we discussed. I trust your discretion."

As Adam exited the store, Joelle watched how he moved with grace, and she admired the powerful physique. She wished that he wasn't so dark and brooding much of the time because she did enjoy their intellectual discussions. She admired his dedication to his work and his integrity and honesty. They shared a passion for the theater, and Adam had said that when the next show came to the opera house in Virginia City, he hoped that she would accompany him to the performance. She had agreed but had hoped that he had not read too much into that, and apparently by what he had said, he had not. He understood that she was more attracted to his lighter and more exuberant youngest brother. More than once, she had dreamed that there was an amalgam of the two forging their best characteristics together, but if she didn't have that, she had to choose between them. She did think that if things worked out with Joe, she might have the best of both because then she could continue to be Adam's friend. She had the feeling each time she saw him that he needed a friend very much because he had so much to say and needed an outlet. She had to feel some pride that he had chosen to confide in her and trusted her that much with his very honest revelations. She knew if she ever needed it, she could be that honest with him without fear of judgment. Adam had admitted to her that he should have been confiding in Hoss, but that Hoss wouldn't accept that Adam could ever leave, and it would hurt him to even know that Adam was thinking about doing just that. As she did every night, Joelle would pray that the Cartwrights found a way to move forward without losing any of them. Adam had told her that Hoss was unhappy for a very different reason so she prayed for the big man every night as well. Now she would add a prayer for each of them to be safe in the race.

At the livery stable, Adam had to suppress a smile as he saw that his brothers had the buckboard ready to go and had paid the fee for the care of the team of horses. The supplies were well secured in the bed of the wagon, and a blanket had been folded for a cushion on the seat. Buck was also ready to go so he had to assume his father was on his way as well. Joe and Hoss looked so anxious that Adam couldn't help teasing them a little by talking about everything except the race. Joe couldn't hold back more than a few minutes though.

"Adam, can I ask you one more time to please ride in that race with us. If we lose, Hoss and I will pay the Mortons ourselves so you won't be risking any of your money."

"If I ride and we win, then do you get the winnings too?"

"Oh, no, if you ride and help us win, you get your hundred just like us. How about it? You don't want to let Hoss down, and let those Mortons smear the Cartwright name, do you?"

"I guess that I can help you out this time, but there's a condition."

Looking wary, Joe had to ask. "Adam, what other condition could there be? I made the best offer I could think of."

"In the future, ask me before you commit me to anything or I will say no, and you won't change my mind."

Relieved, Joe smiled but held back the shout he wanted to make. "Of course, Adam. We can do that. Can't we, Hoss? We can do that, right?"

"Right, and little brother, you remember this promise you just made."

"Oh, I will. I will. Now, I was thinking that Hoss should ride the first leg because it's out of town and mostly on a downgrade. Then Adam, you and Sport take the ride up and over the ridge. Sport is stronger than Cochise and faster than Chubb, so he's the best combination to make that part of the ride. Then Cochise and I will do the last leg because none of their horses will ever catch him on that straightaway even if half of it is uphill."

"You're assuming you'll have the lead. What will you do if you don't?"

With lips pursed, Joe thought for a bit. "I'll use that light saddle I used in that, um, race that you lost. Now don't get mad. That's a real saddle, but it's lighter. I'll dress light too so that Cochise has less to carry. I'm smaller by fifty pounds than any of the Morton brothers so that should give me a real advantage. I can catch up and pass any one of them, or I'll leave them in the dust if I have a lead."

Ben arrived about that time and was relieved to see his sons in what appeared to be a rather jovial mood. He mounted up on Buck, and led the way with Joe and Hoss on their horses as Adam drove the buckboard home.

For the next several days, Joe was excited for the race and took extra special care of Cochise. All three sons were up early every day and hard at work all day so that they could ride out at the end of the day and look over the route of the race. Ben was happy that his sons were focusing their attention on the race and their energies on work. He had a lot of things to consider and wanted to find the best way to approach making changes in the status quo without relinquishing his role as head of the family and patriarch of the Ponderosa. It was a new perspective on how to run the ranch and how to manage his family. He suspected the most challenging conversation was going to be with Adam so he spent more time thinking about how to approach his eldest son but still thought long and hard about how to talk with Hoss and Joe concerning the changes he wanted to make and how it would affect them. For a week though, Ben was fairly certain that the rancor and frustration of his two older sons would be held in check by their enthusiasm for the race. Despite some denigrating comments each had made about racing the Morton brothers, Ben could tell they were almost as excited about the competition as Joe was. In the stable two days before the race, Adam and Joe were talking strategy.

"I'm not letting Cooch run at all for the next two days. By the time he gets to race, he'll be jumping at the chance to run. I know Sport is high-spirited so he'll want to run too."

"Yes, especially if there's a horse in front of him. He can't stand not being the one in the lead. It makes him run harder."

"So that's why you always hold back at first in the Founders' Day race. I always thought it took Sport some time to get into it, but that was you and that was real smart."

Adam at least had the good grace to look just a bit embarrassed by the unexpected praise. The last few days had been very pleasant for him. He had a project on which to focus. He planned and thought about all the things that might go wrong and what he could do if any of them actually happened. For the next two days, the brothers continued to get along well. Ben had been worried that the tension might lead to some arguments, but instead, the race had drawn the brothers closer together again. Ben found himself getting a bit excited by the day of the race. Despite what his sons thought sometimes, he was competitive and wanted to win. To beat the loudmouth Morton brothers would certainly be a victory that would be discussed for a long time. While his three sons saddled up their horses, Ben saddled Buck. He was done first because his sons were riding different horses to town and would only ride their favorite mounts in the race itself. The four men rode to town together and the conversation was lively and supportive.

Chapter 3

In town, the rules of the race were stated publicly. Then just when it seemed they could start, Adam suggested they all head into the saloon for a beer first. Hoss was delighted, Joe was surprised, and Ben wondered what scheme Adam was executing. Adam had that look that gave away nothing, but his eyes were twinkling letting his father know he had something planned. While in the saloon, Joe had a great idea.

"Why don't we get the ladies here to give us something that we can carry to show that we didn't cheat? Maybe a garter that we could wear on our arm and then pass to the next rider. First one back to replace the lady's garter wins."

Ben rolled his eyes and shook his head as everyone else in the saloon roared their approval. He guessed quite correctly that Joe was going to volunteer to get the garter for each team. Joe and the saloon girls played it up big for the audience of course.

"Joe Cartwright, your hand didn't have to go that high to reach my garter which everyone can plainly see is just above my knee."

"Now, darling, your leg is so smooth, my hand slipped." Joe smiled his most ingratiating puppy dog smile and she couldn't even pretend to be mad at him.

It took several more minutes for Joe to get the second garter and give one to the Morton brothers. Ben watched not only that production starring Joe, but he watched Adam circulate around the room talking quietly to a number of men. He began to have a suspicion about what he might be doing but knew his eldest son wouldn't tell him yet if he was correct. He would want to play it out before explaining. Finally everyone was ready. Joe and Adam took their horses and rode to their designated spots with the Morton brother they would be racing. It had been decided that they would allow fifteen minutes for them to ride out before Hoss began the race against the oldest of the Morton brothers. He wasn't the heaviest of the three which made Hoss and Joe even more sure of their strategy and reinforced Adam's secretly held opinion of what was going to happen especially as the heaviest of the three rode out with him.

Sheriff Roy Coffee was the starter, and he watched his pocket watch carefully telling Hoss and the Morton brother when it was one minute before starting time. The brought their horses to the center of the street and spectators cleared a wide path for the two. As soon as the time was five seconds away, Roy began to count down as he raised his right arm. When he threw his arm down, the two riders took off. The two men pounded out of town leaving dust flying into the air and then settling on the hats and shoulders of the spectators who gradually dispersed to saloons and waiting benches and chairs along the street. Most guessed that it would be at least forty-five minutes before the last pair of riders would be coming back into town. Several teenage boys climbed up on roofs to survey the road back into town as well as to give updates on the first pair until they couldn't see them any more.

On the road, Hoss was pushing Chubb as hard as he could but found that the distance between him and the lighter rider kept increasing. He guessed though that as long as he didn't let the rider get more than a few hundred yards ahead, his brothers could make up the difference. He was especially sure that Adam could do it because the heaviest Morton brother would be doing the ride up and over the ridge giving Adam a distinct advantage. Working hard at riding and just a bit worried about Chubb being pushed this hard, Hoss was relieved to finally see Adam waiting for him. He passed over the garter that Joe had given him, and Adam slipped it on his arm before riding to try to catch the Morton brother who had a good lead already. Hoss began to wipe down Chubb and then mounted up on the spare horse Adam had ridden to the spot and led Chubb back toward town. The first Morton brother had ridden away on the horse he had raced. Hoss felt sorry for the animal who wasn't being given a good chance to cool down but was still working.

On the steep slope leading to the top of the ridge, Adam had lost sight of his opponent. When the rider appeared again ahead of him, he smiled despite the dust, the exertion, and the tough ride as well as concern that Sport not be injured in this competition. When he got to the top and watched the other rider heading down the slope, he was even more sure of his evaluation of this race. When Adam got to Joe, he had to endure the younger man's pained expression and look of disappointment, but he had more important matters with which to deal than that. He wished Joe luck and took the spare horse leaving Sport to walk on his own for a few minutes. Adam took off in pursuit of the rider who had bested him. The rider was heading toward a grove of trees instead of toward town. Sensing pursuit, the rider turned back and saw Adam before riding hard but on the horse that had raced so Adam's fresher mount quickly overtook his quarry. He grabbed the rider pulling her onto his horse and across his lap. She tried to fight him, but he slapped her behind.

"Don't. I'm in no mood for any more games, Rosalie Morton. I don't recall you being part of this bet at all."

"Let me down, Adam Cartwright, you filthy pig!"

"I'll let you down when you promise to go back to town with me and tell the truth."

"The truth is that you're a stinking animal. Let me down!"

Rosalie started to kick and thrash as much as she could so Adam swatted her behind again. "I don't like doing that, but you're putting both of us at risk with your behavior. So if you'll simply agree to be quiet and not fight me, I'll let you down."

Saying nothing but ceasing her struggles, Rosalie was released by Adam and slid to the ground. She stood glowering at him as he stayed on his horse and looked down at her with a smirk. "How the hell did you know, anyway?"

"If you had taken the place of your smallest brother, I might not have known. But the contrast between you and your oldest brother is too big to miss. I was fairly certain when I first glimpsed you riding ahead of me but when I saw you racing down the hill, it made the conclusion very obvious. Now, is your brother supposed to meet you here so he can get the horse he supposedly rode and go back to town to get his money?"

"None of your business!"

"Oh, but it is my business, and your answer made it very clear. Let's go get your horse and ride back to mine. Sport needs a bit of care, and I had to neglect him because of your cheating ways."

"It's not cheating! I'm a Morton."

"Yes, but the bet was the three Cartwright brothers riding their horses against the three Morton brothers on their horses. You are definitely not a Morton brother." Adam at least had the good grace to blush a little at that. When he had pulled her from her horse, he knew his hand had grabbed some very soft parts of her, and he had to hold on or drop her. Then he had laid his hand across her buttocks to hold her in place. She was definitely not one of the Morton brothers.

"You are a pig!"

"Perhaps. I'm not sure anyone in your family has the right to make such a judgment, but we'll let it stand for now. Go get your horse and ride with me, or I'll show you how much of a 'pig' I can be."

On the road, Joe was riding as hard as he could push Cochise. He had made up some of the gap his brothers had given him, but they were already on the outskirts of town, and he had too many yards to make up. He kept trying, but when he got to the end, he had lost by ten yards. There was a lot of cheering but less than there would have been if the Cartwrights had won. Hoss was there and put a hand on Joe's shoulder.

"Sorry, Joe, but I just couldn't keep up to him. He was a good hundred yards or more ahead of me by the time I handed off the garter to Adam."

"Hoss, that's all right. We kind of expected that, but their lead was twice as big as that by the time Adam handed off to me. I couldn't catch him. What the heck is wrong with our older brother anyway? He should have narrowed the gap not doubled it."

Two of the Morton brothers sauntered over to where Hoss and Joe were standing. "Where's our money? You lost and we won. Your old fleabags couldn't keep up to our horses at all. Now what you got to say to that?"

"Don't worry, we'll pay, but we have to wait for Adam to get here. The race ain't over until we all say it's over and there was no cheating involved."

"You calling us cheaters?"

"No, I ain't, but me and Joe want to see Adam and make sure it was all on the up and up."

"That's the same as calling us cheaters. You got no right to call us cheaters."

"But I do." While everyone had been focused on Hoss and Joe facing two of the Morton brothers, no one noticed Adam ride up with the third brother and Rosalie Morton. "Brothers, I hope you haven't handed over any money. I believe the race was between the three Cartwright brothers and the three Morton brothers?"

"Of course it was, Adam. What are you talking about?"

"Joe, I know you were disappointed that I gave you such a long gap to make up, but there was a good reason for that. Rosalie here took her brother's place going up that steep slope. She's the one who handed off the garter to her brother who took off ahead of you. Now I believe that they lose because the bet was the three Morton brothers could outrace the three Cartwright brothers and they didn't. You did finish the race, didn't you, little brother?"

Joe wasn't even bothered by Adam referring to him as 'little' because he knew then what Adam had said. "Yeah, and the Morton brothers never finished the race, now did they?"

"No, they did not. They only completed part of the race. I do believe that there is a little payment of one hundred dollars due to each of us." Adam smirked, but he did it with that intimidating glare that let the Morton brothers know that he didn't find it funny at all. They reached into their pockets to get their cash, but Rosalie interrupted them.

"What about Adam Cartwright grabbing me? He touched parts of me that only a husband is supposed to touch."

Now that caused a collective sigh in the crowd and then some angry murmuring. Sensing a chance to claim something out of their defeat and humiliation, the oldest Morton brother stepped forward. "Now, Rosalie, do you want us to insist on him marrying up with you then? I mean, everyone here heard what he did so they wouldn't be surprised at us saying he had to marry up with you to keep his honor and yours."

"Now, wait a minute here. I only accidentally touched her and she was wearing that big old coat of her brother's. If she hadn't been cheating, I never would have had to chase her down and drag her from her horse."

Ben and Roy stood to the side watching the whole scene unfold. Roy couldn't help smiling a bit watching Adam trying to talk himself out of this one, but Ben was speechless with all the events and revelations. Hoss and Joe were enjoying themselves quite a bit too. First they liked that they had won and would get the money. That put them in a very good mood as they watched Adam squirm as he talked with the Mortons and tried to explain away Rosalie's accusations. Neither dared to say anything but did find it all very entertaining. They would decide what to say later once the whole thing played out. Rosalie definitely wasn't going to let Adam off the hook easily.

"Yes, but what about laying me across your lap and resting your hand on my behind giving me a few swats too. Now only a husband gets to give his wife a tanning, so what do you have to say about that?"

"I only had to hold you like that because you were kicking and screaming and would have fallen and hurt yourself if I didn't!"

"Now, Rosalie, I asked you a question. You gonna tell me and your other brothers here what you want us to do?"

"Well, I don't want to marry up with him. He's a filthy pig. But he has to apologize right here in front of everyone for what he did." Rosalie paused then before delivering what she thought was going to bother Adam the most. "And he has to dance with me at the next dance. At least three times. And bring some punch to me. And introduce me to all his friends." Then to remind everyone why she had the right to make all these demands, she added one more. "And he has to keep his hands where they belong when he's with a lady."

Stepping even closer to Rosalie, Adam dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. "I sincerely apologize for anything that I did to offend you. I am truly sorry." He stood slowly then with her hand still in his and raised it to his lips where he gently kissed the back of her hand. "Will you do me the honor of dancing at least three dances with me at the next dance and sharing a glass of punch with me as well? I promise to keep my hands where they belong when I am with a lady."

Rosalie had planned to slap his face after he apologized, but the gallant gesture of him going down on one knee, the honeyed tones, and the kiss on her hand made her mind go blank. She said nothing until her oldest brother nudged her.

"Is that enough, Rosalie?"

"Oh, what, oh, yes, well, yes, that was fine. Yes, Adam, I accept."

Finally dragging her hand out of Adam's grasp, Rosalie had to turn away from him before she made a fool of herself more than she was afraid she already had. She gruffly told her brothers to pay up so they could go home. They did and then grabbed their horses and headed out of town before they could hear any more critical remarks. They wanted to find out what Rosalie had planned too because they had been very surprised by her requests of Adam.

In town, Hoss and Joe got a lot of compliments on a race well run especially by those who had bet on them giving odds in order to get the bets. Adam got quite a few compliments as well as some ribald comments and a few jabs about what he had done. After a celebratory beer, the three brothers were ready to collect their horses and ride home with their father.

"Yes, Hoss, that was the easiest hundred dollars we've ever made. I got a couple of other ideas about how we can make more."

"Oh, no, little brother, I don't want to hear no more about any of these schemes of yours. Ain't that right, Adam? I mean, you was the one who said it wasn't worth the hundred dollars we won."

"Oh, I won over three hundred dollars. I'm thinking about investing it."

"Hey, how'd you win that much? Joe and me only got a hundred each. Did you make side bets on the race?"

"No, no side bets. Everyone wanted odds, and that was too risky. No, I bet that the Morton brothers would cheat. As soon as they said Brent would ride the first leg and Augie would ride the second, I knew something was up. It was clear that whatever they had planned was likely to happen in my part of the race. I only had to be observant."

"Adam, you know more ways to make money than anybody I know, and you spend less of it than any of us too. You're gonna be richer than all of us put together someday. You oughta be mighty proud of yourself even if ya gotta dance with that Rosalie Morton at the next dance. Ifn I was you, I'd be one right happy man."

"Yes, and some days, I wish I was you too so that those things could make me happy." With that enigmatic comment, Adam let Sport have his head, and the big chestnut took off for home.

Hoss looked over at Ben and Joe. "I didn't mean to upset him. I was only telling him how proud I was of him."

Ben nodded. "It wasn't anything you said. I need to say a few things though." Ben began to explain a few of the changes he wanted to make on the ranch. Hoss and Joe were happy with the things Ben told them. He didn't say anything about Adam making them wonder what was going to happen between their father and their older brother.

Chapter 4

"That Rosalie is something else, ain't she, Adam. She rides better than any of them brothers of hers, and she's a right pretty little thing too. She shur was mad at you though, but you calmed her down just like she was a little filly eating right outta your hand. He was good, wasn't he, Joe?"

"Real good. Now he has to dance with her at the next dance. I wonder if she'll wear a dress. I don't think I've ever seen her in a dress. Have you ever seen her in a dress, Hoss?"

"No, Joe, cain't say as I have. But then our older brother knows all about her charms as it is seeing as he had his hands all over 'em."

"I did not have my hands all over her. I accidentally may have touched her when I pulled her from her horse, and I only had my hand on her buttocks to stop her from falling off my horse. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I have some work to do." With a final pat on Sport's rump, Adam stalked out of the stable, mounted up on the extra horse he had ridden that day, and rode off.

"Boy, he's touchy these days. What got him so mad about us teasing him about Rosalie?"

"You know he's on edge and you tease him anyway. When are you two going to learn that your brother is not made of granite? He has feelings like anyone else, and he doesn't need you two stomping all over them all the time." Ben was perturbed because after the win in the race and Adam resolving everything so smoothly with Rosalie, he had hoped that he could have a serious talk about the future with his eldest son. Now Adam was off working again, and the chance to talk had passed once more. Ben knew he would have to find another time soon, but as long as Hoss and Joe kept getting Adam riled up, it would be very difficult to do.

"Where did he go? I didn't know we had any work that had to get done today." Joe had thought that there wouldn't be any work that had to get done until they started the roundup.

"He didn't like the herd counts that came in yesterday. He told the men to do them over again today." Ben had been worried too when Adam told him about the counts being off.

"Oh, boy, they aren't gonna be in a good mood about having to do that. I hope they know that he's already in a bad mood and don't ride him none." Hoss was worried for Adam because he knew that some of the men were getting tired of his demands. He never asked the men to do more than what he was willing to do himself, but he worked so hard it was unlikely anyone could keep up with him lately. Hoss wondered what was bothering him so much because he knew that whenever Adam threw himself into work as he had been doing, it meant that there was something on his mind. Hoss had another concern as well. "Pa, I been thinking on what you told me and Joe earlier about changes you plan to make around here. Now I like the changes cause I wouldn't mind at all doing some of the traveling especially to California, and I know Joe is pretty happy to know you're want him to work with you more on planning stuff, but where does that leave Adam?"

As Hoss talked, Joe had another worrisome thought. "Adam hasn't told you he's leaving, did he? I mean, you're handing over work to us that Adam would normally do so are you getting ready for him to leave. Please tell me that isn't it."

Ben sighed. He had wanted to talk to Adam before telling this part to Hoss and Joe, but now knew that wouldn't work. "No, I'm expecting that you two will need to be ready to take over some of Adam's work because I want him to take on some new projects."

"New projects? Pa, you mean some of them things he's been trying to get you to do for ages now?"

"Well, I'm not sure I can agree that he's been trying to get me to let him do them for 'ages', but yes, I'm ready to say yes to some things. First up, I would like him to make improvements to our lumber mill and expand that part of the Ponderosa's business. He'll need to meet with the railroad men more often as well as with construction crews for any other big building projects within a reasonable distance. He'll probably have to expand our freight hauling as well. That would keep him very busy so he would need you two to step up and take over some of the work he's been doing."

"So he wouldn't be doing any more of the roundups and cattle drives? Pa, we kinda count on his help with those."

"I know you do, Joe, but that would have to be up to Adam. I want him to be able to make more decisions like that. But before we get there, I need to be able to sit down with him and talk about all of this. With you two riling him up like you did, that makes it a lot harder to find the right time to talk with him."

"We can back off, can't we, Joe?" Joe nodded so Hoss continued. "I'm figuring that you don't want to say anything about what you talked to us about until you talk with Adam?"

"Yes, I know it might be difficult not to talk about what I told you, but please, it would be so much better if I was the one to tell Adam. I hope to find a time in the next couple of days to do that. I want him to have something to get excited about again."

Out in the southeast pasture, Adam was talking with the foreman and some of the hands. They had redone the count and found ten less cows than the day before with no sign at all of where they might be. Billy apologized for all of them.

"Sorry, Adam, we didn't know that you were worried about the count being so low. We thought that you didn't think we'd done it up right. Now I can see why you're worried. Ten a day is a lot to lose."

"I'm sorry too. I should have told you why I wanted the count done again. I guess I was thinking about other things and didn't pay enough attention to what you were thinking. I'm sorry about that."

"Well, it's all right. Today, once we figured the count was lower than yesterday, we double-checked everything. That's why we weren't in yet with the count, but we couldn't find no tracks or nothing. Maybe you or Hoss could. You two can track better than any of us."

After thanking the men once more for their work, Adam headed home to grab a bedroll and some supplies. He planned to sit out in the southeast pasture that night to see if he could spot whomever was stealing their cattle. When he arrived at the house and announced his plans, his father and brothers were too surprised to even offer an alternative to his plans except to offer to come out to replace him halfway through the night.

"No, that would alert anyone out there that the herd was being watched. I want to get out there now and get settled in somewhere. Hopefully they'll be there tonight, and I can get an idea of where they're going. Tomorrow morning, you can meet me out there so we can track down our cattle and the rustlers. Otherwise, someone else needs to sit out there tomorrow night."

As it turned out, Adam sat out there again the next night and the next. The first morning when he had arrived at the house, he was tired and frustrated. Ben said he ought to get some sleep so that he wouldn't get hurt while working. That night, of course, he was the most rested and agreed to sit out another night. It went that way for five days giving Ben no opportunity to sit down and talk with his eldest son. On the sixth day, Adam said he wasn't going to sit out again. He and Hoss were walking in from the stable after Adam had spent one more frustrating night sitting out in the cold night air getting stiff from not moving and not having any results to make the sacrifices worthwhile.

"Hoss, we have to accept that they got away with over two hundred of our cows. That loss is going to hurt, but we can survive it. We have no idea where those cattle went and no idea who took them."

"We're giving up then?"

"Unless you have a better idea."

That was the last thing anyone heard before the two brothers entered the house and closed the door.

"Ya think that was loud enough, Adam, so the varmint could hear us all right?"

"I'm sure it was. I hope they don't figure out that we put on that little act just for them."

"What act? What varmint?" Ben was confused and asked the questions before the equally confused Joe could.

"Me and Adam were talking out in the stable. We kinda got a feeling that maybe one of our hands is mixed up in this."

"One of our hands?"

"Yep, otherwise why did the rustling stop as soon as Adam said he was gonna be out there watching?"

"It could have been coincidence?"

"Yes, Pa, it could. We'll find out tonight." Adam was not a believer in coincidence to explain anything like this.

"What about tonight?"

"Me and Adam are both going out there, but we ain't leaving until well after dark, and we'll walk the horses out so nobody hears us leaving."

"Do you two have any idea which one of the hands could be involved in this?"

Both Adam and Hoss looked down not wanting to meet their father's eyes at that moment. He understood immediately that whomever they suspected was probably someone he had hired or befriended. However he wanted to know anyway.

"Who is it that you suspect and don't worry about my feelings. Something needs to be done about this rustling, and no matter who it is, they need to pay the penalty for their thievery after we've trusted them."

Adam and Hoss looked at each other. Hoss broke the stare first and turned to his father. "We think it might be Billy Drummond. He's the only one who leaves at the end of the day. It would give him the perfect opportunity to know where the cattle were bunched and with a little help, he could easily get ten or so away and cover his tracks. The next morning, before he got here, he could check to make sure that there were no signs of what they done."

"It makes sense, but I hope that the two of you are wrong. Billy has a wife and two little children. It would be a shame if he got into this."

"Pa, you said you hired him cause he needed the money. His crops failed for a few years in a row and he owes the bank a lot of money. What if he already had a way of making some money and got hired on here so he could get it?"

It made sense but made Ben sad to think that it might be true. He grudgingly accepted that his sons were probably correct in their thinking and told them that. Joe offered to go with them but they thought that three would likely be too obvious thinking that even two might be a lot in the dark, but both Adam and Hoss had excellent woodsman skills learned at an early age so they hoped to remain undetected. Nothing more was said about it, and that night when it was completely dark, Adam and Hoss slipped from the house to the stable, quietly saddled their horses, and walked them out well away from the yard before mounting up and riding slowly at first so as not to make any sounds that could be detected. As they neared the pasture, they split up to go to their previously agreed upon spots to hide so they could observe. Adam was the first to see any movement. He cautiously moved forward a bit to get a better look in the dim moonlight of a waning moon. It was easy to spot Billy with his sideways slouch in the saddle. What wasn't so easy was to accept the pistol that was suddenly pressed into his back.

"You promised to splinter my spine once. You just be real careful now or I'll do just that to you. Now reach around real slow like and unbuckle that gunbelt and let it drop."

"How did you know?"

"We knew you wouldn't give up so easy so we had someone watching the place. He followed you here and then told us where you were. In the dark, it took a bit to find you, but since we knew where to look, it wasn't too hard. Now your brother should be tied to a tree right about now. You're coming with us. Start walking out into the open so the others know I got you."

As Adam moved forward, he faked a stumble and spun around to tackle his captor but got hit in the side of the head instead. Dazed, he fell to his knees and tried to make the world stop spinning.

"I knew you'd try something. Now get up and keep walking. Next time I won't be so gentle." With the pistol prodding him again, Adam stood and walked forward even as his stomach roiled and his head pounded. He felt what he knew had to be blood dripping down the side of his face. Once he got to where he was told to stop, he dropped to his knees and did his best to not retch. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to the side of his head trying to stop the bleeding even if the additional pressure made his head hurt even more.

"Why'd you have to go and hurt him?"

"Billy, boy, you ain't in charge here. You take orders or you know what will happen."

Kneeling next to Adam, Billy pulled Adam's hand and the handkerchief away from the wound and used a match to see it better. The match got slapped out of his hand quickly.

"What's it matter? You got both of them."

"No need to advertise where we are. Now get him on his horse and tie his hands to the pommel. He'll come with us and we won't even have to worry about changing the brands. He can vouch for us having the right to sell them cattle."

"What if he won't?"

"Oh, he will, cause we'll use the same thing on him as we used on you. He won't say no."

Adam was confused and not only because of the blow to the head. It sounded to him as if Billy had been forced into this, but if he had, Adam couldn't understand why hadn't he asked them for help instead of stealing from them. Billy cleared it all up as he helped Adam to stand and then mount up on his horse.

"They got a man with my wife and kids. I do anything wrong, and you know what they're going to do to them. I feel real bad about all this after your Pa was so good to me, but I didn't know what else to do. I figured you'd all understand once you knew what was going on."

"I do, but Billy, we have to get away. They won't let either of us live through this and your wife won't survive it either. They can't let the witnesses live to put them in prison."

"I kinda figured they might do that to me, but why my wife?"

"She knows at least one of them."

"They was all there the first night."

With a sinking feeling that he had called it exactly as it was, Adam had to ask. "Did the boys see them and hear what they said?"

"Yeah, we was having dinner when they all walked in. The boys heard it all." Billy paused then as he thought through what Adam had said. "They're gonna kill my boys too? Damn. Adam, what we gonna do?"

"Tie me, but do it so that I can work it loose. Wait for me to make a move and then you ride as hard and fast as you can to the Ponderosa. They'll be looking for me and for Hoss by then. Tell them everything."

That worked out about as Adam had planned. By midday, he had worked his hands free and reached down to grab the reins from the hands of the man leading Sport. As quickly as he could, he wheeled Sport around and headed out at a diagonal away from the rustled herd and the men driving the cattle. Very quickly there were men in pursuit who caught him after just a mile. They pulled him from his horse and pounded him for his action until their leader said it was enough.

"He won't try that again even if he's strong enough to try which I doubt he will be. Now get him on his horse and tie him better than he was. I don't want him getting loose again. Where is that damn Billy?" Suddenly it dawned on the rustlers' leader that this could have all been a ploy. "Where's Billy?"

"Maybe he stayed with the herd?"

"Hell he did. He's on his way for help. Let's get those cattle moving. We gotta find a place to make a stand. At least we still got us a hostage." As he rode by Adam, he slammed the butt of his rifle into Adam's back. "No more tricks, or I will splinter your spine. It won't likely kill you, but you'll wish it had."

"Hey, do you think they'll really come after us? I mean you told the big one to tell 'em that we'd kill this one if they followed us."

"Yes, but Ben Cartwright isn't one to be stopped by anything like that. He'll be coming for his boy now, and that fool Billy told them everything, I bet. They'll know how many guns we got and that Rink is at the Drummond farm. That damn Billy. When this is over, I'm gonna go kill that bastard myself. Now get going. We need to move fast and hard."

Chapter 5

Hurt, tied and helpless as well as exhausted after a forced ride of over a day, Adam still felt invigorated to be in a situation that required him to think, plan, and prepare. He guessed that he would be in the center of the encounter with whomever came to his rescue and had to face these rustlers turned kidnappers. Earlier back on the Ponderosa, Hoss had been discovered and gave the message he had been told to give.

"Pa, they said that Adam was gonna go with 'em, and ifn we followed 'em, they was gonna kill him."

Dropping his head as he thought, Ben wondered how things could go so wrong so quickly. He was fairly sure of one thing though. "Hoss, did you see who did this to you?"

"Nah, they came up behind me and had me drop my gunbelt and back up to the tree. They tied me to the tree and left without ever letting me see who they was. I didn't recognize any voices either."

"Then they will kill Adam regardless of whether we follow them or not. He can identify them. We have to follow, but I wish I knew more about who it was and what they were doing."

"Pa, Billy was with 'em. I could tell that slouch to the side even in the little moonlight we had."

"Yes, I suppose that slouch of his is rather unique to him, but I wish he wasn't involved. I had thought he was a better man than that. We would have helped him out more if he had only told us he needed more help. Now he's put Adam into grave danger, and I don't think I can forgive him that."

It wasn't difficult for Hoss to track the men, horses, and cattle. They had left a clear trail this time indicating that they didn't expect pursuit. In the late afternoon, a rider was approaching them riding hard. It surprised everyone when they realized it was Billy Drummond. Ben pulled is pistol and held it on Billy when he arrived. "Where is my son, and your life depends on you telling me he's still alive and well."

"Mr. Cartwright, I got to explain. Adam is hurt a little, but he's still alive. I had to help those rustlers. They got a man watching my wife and boys. They said they would kill them if I didn't help them. Adam told me to ride back here and tell you everything. He said you would tell me what I had to do next."

Billy explained everything that he knew. Ben told him to ride to town and get Sheriff Roy Coffee to help him. He and his younger sons led the rest of the men after the rustlers and Adam. They didn't catch them that day, and finally had to camp when the darkness made travel too treacherous. Ben sat in their cold camp eating some of the food one of the hands had brought when he caught up with them. Hoss and Joe walked over to sit beside him.

"We'll get them, Pa. With Hoss tracking and them driving a herd, we should be on them by early tomorrow. They wouldn't have done anything to Adam yet. They need him."

"That's all probably true except Billy said he already had a head injury, and I have to wonder what they did if they realized he was the one who let Billy get away. I should never have let you and him do that surveillance by yourselves. You should have had backup. I just didn't want to argue with Adam about it, but some things are worth arguing about."

Joe smiled a bit at his father's last statement. In the dark, Ben didn't see it. "Pa, I think I've heard Adam say something just like that more than once."

"Yes, I realized it when I said it. It was like an echo of Adam. I guess I should have listened more to him, and I promise you that I will as soon as we can get him back home safely. Now why don't both of you try to get some rest. We'll move out as soon as it's light enough that we can see where we're going." Ben stared at the stars that night watching the constellations in the heavens and remembering teaching the names of all that he knew to Adam. Over the years, Adam had learned more of them until he knew even the smallest and most dim ones. He had taught a number of them to Hoss and Joe as well. It was knowledge the whole family shared. He could only hope that there would be more things like that in their future. He couldn't bear the thought of losing any one of his sons.

The next morning, Ben and his sons didn't have to wait long to find out when they would confront the rustlers. Bullets slamming into the dirt in front of their horses announced that the rustlers had stopped and were making a stand. They heard a demand that Ben dismount and walk forward. He did so when he saw one of the rustlers walk out pushing Adam ahead of him. Adam's hands were behind his back and were presumably tied there. The rustler had a mask over his lower face.

"You want him, you can trade him for a bill of sale for two hundred twenty five cattle. You fill out all the necessary papers and you can have him back once we sell the cattle."

"No, I need him back now. I don't trust you, and I worry what you'll do to him. I know he's already hurt."

"We don't want to kill nobody, but if you force us, we will."

"You kill anyone, and you'll hang. Just let Adam go and ride out of here."

The same demands were thrown back and forth a number of times with neither side giving an inch. Ben finally demanded that Adam's hands be freed and that he be allowed to tell them how he was doing. The rustler grudgingly gave in on that one. Adam called out that he was 'fine' which let Ben and the others know he wasn't. He always said that when he was hurt or sick and didn't want anyone fussing over him or giving him any special treatment. Ben wondered at Adam's hand that seemed to be twitching on his thigh as he talked. Joe very quickly saw a pattern there and began to understand that Adam was trying to use Morse code to communicate. Joe was whispering almost to himself as he watched Adam's two fingers against his thigh.

"1 L, 2 R. My Morse code must be getting rusty. That's what I got. He repeated it several times too. Now he's saying 'drop' and now 'shoot'. 1 L, 2 R, drop, shoot. What the heck does that mean?"

Watching intently, Joe only saw the same message again. Suddenly he knew and had to fight to keep his voice to a whisper so the rustlers wouldn't hear.

"Pa, Hoss, he's saying there's one in those rocks on the left and two in the trees to the right. He's going to drop down to the ground and we better be ready to shoot when that happens. Hoss, move off to your right and I'll move left. Adam will know we understand once we start moving to get in better positions. Pa, be careful. You're right in the middle of it."

Ben couldn't say anything without the rustlers being aware that he was talking to his younger sons. As Joe moved back a few steps at a time trying to look like he was simply being nervous, he whispered to the hands to move right and left and to be ready to run for cover and to shoot. As with much violence, when it happened, it was over very quickly. Adam watched his brothers and then some of the hands begin to move. The leader of the rustlers yelled out that they should all stay right where they were. Adam knew it was the crisis point and fell forward almost dragging the leader down with him. In the few seconds of surprise after what he had done, there was no sound. The leader pointed his pistol at Adam's back when he realized what had happened, but several bullets slammed into him knocking him back. The other three rustlers opened fire at the Ponderosa group who had scattered, taken cover, and were returning fire. One of the rustlers realizing that it was hopeless turned to fire at Adam who was struggling to get out from under the body of the leader. When the man turned his rifle toward Adam, Hoss took him out with a single shot to the chest with his buffalo gun. That was all it took for the other two to yell out that they were surrendering. Both had decided that a stint in prison wasn't so bad in comparison to being dead. Ben rushed to Adam's side as Hoss and Joe made sure there was no more danger.

"Adam, are you all right?" Of course, Ben could see he wasn't all right with blood dried on one side of his head and bruises along his jaw line and on his cheeks, but he wanted to know what other injuries there might be. Adam leaned up against a rock before answering.

"I'm fine, Pa, except for getting pounded a bit and getting hit in the head."

"Why don't you take off your shirt so we can check you out."

"I don't need you to do that. Just get me my horse so we can go home."

Hoss had walked over by that point and heard the last exchange. "Brother, you can take off that shirt or I'll do it for ya. Better you do it than me though so you can keep the buttons on it."

Adam scowled up at his big brother but Hoss' scowl said that he meant what he said so Adam unbuttoned his shirt showing them the bruises on his chest and abdomen. Hoss checked the ribs but found nothing that seemed too bad. Adam started to pull the shirt together to button it, but Hoss had another idea.

"No, take it off so I can see your back." Adam paused but knew it wouldn't stop Hoss so he pulled his shirt off with a grimace. Hoss whistled when he saw the nasty bruise on his back. He touched it just a little and Adam flinched. "Boot or rifle butt?"

"Rifle butt."

"It looks real nasty. You been passing blood?"

"No. I haven't had anything to eat or drink since dinner the last night at home."

"They didn't give you no food or water?"

When Adam didn't answer, Ben answered for him. "Water and food make you feel nauseated so you avoided both?" Adam agreed very quietly knowing they were well aware that what Ben had said was most likely true. There was no point in trying to hide it. "All right, you can ride but the horse will only be walking. If we can only get you to the line shack, that will be far enough. You can rest there and we'll get you home tomorrow."

"Pa, you don't have to treat me like a child."

"I'm not. I'm treating you like a man who has been injured. I would do the same for anyone else in the same condition. Now, is that all you have to say about it?"

Pausing to think, Adam knew that he had been unfair and that some of the resentment that he had been carrying around had made him say what he had said. "I'm sorry, Pa. That was uncalled for. Thank you for your help."

Hoss put out his hand to help pull Adam to his feet and then held his shirt to help him put it back on. Adam didn't seem too steady on his feet so Ben and Hoss stayed very close until they got him to his horse and mounted up. One of them rode close to Adam who realized after about an hour why his father had wanted the horses walking instead of a faster pace. He began to be more nauseated and dizzy. Getting to the line shack was about all he could manage. Once there, he nearly fell onto the small cot and was asleep in probably a minute. Ben told Joe and Hoss that they didn't have to stay especially as they had not packed bedrolls in their rush to ride to rescue Adam. All they had were some blankets and thin bedrolls as well as beans that they had confiscated from the rustlers.

"Pa, we're staying. It's the same answer as we gave you earlier today when you said we could ride ahead or go take care of the herd. The hands will get the herd back home. It only took one man to haul those two off to jail and we can send more men if they need help. We don't know yet what happened at Billy's place so we're staying. You know all about backup now, don't you?"

A bit chagrined to have his own idea used against him, Ben also knew that Joe's advice was probably the best plan at this point. Each of them did their best to find a reasonably comfortable spot to sleep propped up on their saddles. They laid the two best blankets that they had with them over Adam to keep him warm. In the morning, all woke stiff and a bit chilled. Hoss began to feed the wood back into the coals in the fireplace and soon had a good blaze going. After ten minutes, Ben was there with the concern that they had no light food that Adam would likely eat.

"Pa, we got some bread left. We could toast that by the fire. I'll head on out to see if I can get a rabbit or something that we could use to cook up some broth."

"Good. I'll get some water in the small pot that's here and rummage around to see if there's something besides beans to eat. There should be coffee at least."

It was enough even though Hoss didn't find any small game. Adam ate some toast and had a cup of coffee. All three remarked that he looked a lot better than the day before even with all that stubble on his chin. It was going to be a long slow ride home, and they wondered if he had enough strength for the trip. The four-hour ride was likely to take at least twice that long. They had only gone about two hours when Hoss yelled out that a carriage was headed their way.

"I sure hope it's Hop Sing with a big old picnic basket filled with fried chicken and biscuits. I think I can smell fried chicken."

Hop Sing didn't have a picnic basket, but he did have fried chicken, biscuits, preserves, and broth as well as news. "Cook all night and pack up carriage in morning. Men hitch up horses for Hop Sing and I come to help. Sheriff come by and say all is well with Mr. Billy and his family. Bad man is in jail."

"That's good news, and a mighty fine help it is too. I'm starving."

"Mr. Hoss must let Mr. Adam eat first. He the one need it most."

"It's all right, Hop Sing. I think the biscuits and the broth are what I would like."

As Adam dismounted, he nearly fell. Joe was at his side in an instant to offer assistance, and then with Ben's help, led Adam to the carriage. Once he was comfortably seated there, Hop Sing brought him biscuits with preserves and a cup of water. He munched on those much to the relief of his family and Hop Sing. With a small fire, the broth was heated and a cup of that was given to Adam who drank it down slowly. Once that was accomplished, everything was cleaned up and packed away in the carriage although all the fried chicken and most of the biscuits had been consumed. Hop Sing pulled a tin out from under the seat and offered Adam first choice of the sugar cookies he had before he offered the rest to Ben, Hoss, and Joe. Adam wanted to drive the team but Hop Sing said he would and that Adam should sleep.

"What a splendid idea, Hop Sing. Thank you." Adam took the blanket that Hop Sing offered and propped it behind his head and shoulder leaning into it and closing his eyes. In a few more hours, they were home. That evening, Adam headed up to bed early. He had soaked in the bath, shaved, and put on clean clothing so he looked better than he had. Ben was still worried about him, but at least he was able to climb the stairs by himself and he had eaten a light dinner with them. When Ben climbed the stairs later, he couldn't help himself and looked in on Adam who appeared to be resting comfortably with the covers up to his chest and his bare arms and shoulders showing that he was wearing nothing. Ben shook his head at Adam's obstinate refusal to wear a nightshirt most of the time. Ben smiled a little remembering how a very young Adam had insisted it was like wearing a dress and that it twisted around him while he slept making him uncomfortable. As soon as he was old enough to defy his father on that issue, he had. Ben realized that was part of who Adam was. He wanted to do things his way, and was uncomfortable being forced to do them another way. He thought about that a lot before he went to sleep realizing that he needed to tell Adam to go ahead and do the lumber mill project any way he wanted to do it. Anything less was going to create problems between them instead of alleviating the tension.

In the morning, Ben anxiously awaited Adam getting up. It was much later than his usual time to wake but after what he had suffered, it wasn't surprising. Hoss and Joe told him that they heard Adam stirring when they finished dressing and headed downstairs for breakfast. When Adam finally came downstairs, he looked healthy except for being a bit pale. He ate another very light meal.

"Adam, I think you ought to stay at the house today. You look like you need more time to recover."

Appreciating that his father had not issued an order but had only made a suggestion, Adam nodded. He didn't like the thought of mounting up and riding anywhere anyway, and he knew his father would be relieved if he took it easy for at least another day. By midmorning as Ben worked at his desk, he noticed that Adam had leaned back in his chair and appeared to be sleeping. It was nearly noon when a knock on the door woke Adam and got Ben's attention. Ben answered the door and greeted Doctor Paul Martin. With a glance over at Adam, Ben noticed the scowl. Adam didn't like the idea that the doctor had been summoned for him, but it was too late to object so he grudgingly agreed to let Paul examine him in the downstairs guest bedroom. When Paul emerged, Adam was scowling just a bit yet.

"I told him that he isn't to work for two weeks. He informed me that he has a dance to attend in eight days in order to keep a promise he made. So I amended my prescription to that he not ride his horse for two weeks. He can take the carriage if he wants to go somewhere. His head injury is minor, but his kidney needs time to recover and bouncing around on the back of a horse isn't the way to do that. It's why he's so tired and why he can only eat light foods. I don't think there's going to be any long-term problems especially if he follows my prescription of light meals, no riding, and getting as much sleep as he needs."

When Hoss and Joe arrived home for lunch, they found Paul at the table with Adam and their father. Paul told them exactly what he had told Adam and Ben. Hoss and Joe nodded. This was what they had been hoping because it meant that their father had his opportunity to talk with Adam, and they would have plenty of time to work out any friction between them.

Chapter 6

"You want me to expand and improve the lumber operations, and you aren't telling me how to do it, when, or how much to spend?" Adam had been surprised when his father had asked to speak with him. What he had said shocked Adam.

"Son, I have been listening to you whether you believe that or not. I found it very difficult to accept that you wanted so many changes in the Ponderosa. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that changes do need to be made. Now, I'm not ready yet to endorse everything you want to do, and I doubt we could afford to do all of them anyway, but I'm willing to start with some significant changes. I do mean what I said about you improving the lumber operations. I do know you that have a lot of ideas about what to do there, and I know it's going to cost a lot, but if you're right, and you usually are when it comes to money, then we should get a very good return on our investment and have money to do other things as well."

Warming to the idea but still a bit wary at this sudden change in his father, Adam had to ask a few more questions. "What about all the other work I do around here? I won't have time to do that and be at the lumber mill too."

"Hoss is willing to take over the contracts and planning for the cattle drives. He's looking forward to making a few more trips to California. Whether you go on the drives or not will be up to you. I suspect Hoss will want you along on the next drive and probably on his first trip to meet with buyers. He'll be pumping you for information so that he will be ready to do it on his own in the future."

"So you're giving him the time to see AnnMarie?"

"It's not a situation I would have chosen for him, but it's up to him to decide his future in that regard."

Sensing the tension behind that statement, Adam dropped that line of discussion. "And what about Joe? How does he feel about all of this?"

"He's in favor as well. He will need to start working more closely with me especially as you might be gone for days or even weeks at a time."

"So you talked to me last. Did I have you that worried?" Adam smiled a little wondering how much his father would admit at this point. Ben was remarkably candid with him. He welcomed that change especially. They were back to talking like partners instead of the authoritative father addressing his rebellious son.

"Yes, I was worried, but not because I didn't want to talk with you. It's that I know I have to do this right, or you might decide to leave. It would break my heart for that to happen even if I understood your reasons and sympathized with them. I know what it's like to have a dream and have someone saying you shouldn't try for it. In some ways it was easier for me. I had to leave to reach my dream. You have to stay and fight against this old Ponderosa Pine who's put down a mighty big taproot here. But even a big pine has to bend in a strong wind."

"And I'm the strong wind?" Adam had even more of a smile then so Ben knew their conversation was working the way he had hoped.

"Hop Sing told me that we are the four corners of the Ponderosa blanket. I'm the big pines anchoring all. You are the wind that blows in fresh clean air and white clouds and even the necessary storms from time to time. Hoss is solid as the land nourishing all that grows here. Joe is the water that flows through the land providing cool refreshment. All very different and all very necessary."

"I'll do it, Pa. It sounds exactly like what I need. I'll go on the drive and I'll help Hoss all that I can. This is an exciting time for the Ponderosa. It's going to be bigger and better than ever."

"Now you sound a little like Joe."

"Please don't say things like that and ruin the moment."

The two broke out in laughter signaling Hop Sing that it was the right moment to bring out coffee and the fresh cookies he had just baked. He had heard most of the conversation and liked all of it but especially that his boss and friend had heard his words, remembered them, and told them to his number one son.

For a number of days, Adam had thought that his father had something to say to him. There had been times that he had looked at him like he was about to say something, and then the moment would pass with nothing important being said. It was a relief to know that this was what he had wanted to say. If he meant what he said and stuck to it, Adam knew he could be happier on the Ponderosa. One building project might not satisfy his urge to design and build, but it was a good start and would get him using those skills again. Instead of thinking about leaving the Ponderosa in order to satisfy his desire to use his talents and skills, Adam started thinking of ways he could do that and remain on the Ponderosa.

When Hoss and Joe came in they found their father and Adam discussing the lumber mill. "You know I can't give you the original plans for the sawmill because we didn't use any. We had the saws and measured them. We built the floor first and installed the saws and the belts that drive them. Then we built the rest of the mill around that. It was in the fall and we closed it in well so that the cold weather and rain wouldn't make the saws too difficult to use. Then the next summer, we had to cut holes for windows because it got to hot in there without any cross ventilation."

"I would guess that with all the sawdust, light from windows was safer than lanterns."

"We didn't even think about that so much as windows provided cheaper light in the long run. I guess we thought about the fire danger only after we had a small fire."

Hoss and Joe were hanging back listening and assuming that all had gone well. Ben reinforced that when he said they should all go to the dining table for lunch and talk about the next few months. Both Hoss and Joe noted that Adam smiled at that and nodded. They looked at each other and smiled as well.

"Hoss, about the next cattle drive."

"Adam, you're gonna help, aren't you?"

"Yes, I already told Pa I would. But you have to boss it. I'll be along to help, but you have to make the decisions. You can ask my opinion if you want it, but the final say has to be yours."

"I kin do that, Adam. I like the sound of that too. You know, me being boss and all. Hey, Joe, you want to be the ramrod then?"

"Yeah, I like that too. Hey does that mean I get to assign the drovers to whatever crew I want them on?"

"Oh, no, you are not going to assign me to ride drag. I'll ride flank or lead but no drag. I'm too old to be sucking up that much dust every day. That's a condition of me going along."

"Gosh, Adam, whatever gave you the idea that I would think about doing that?" Joe's expression gave him away though because he could not entirely hold back the grin that was threatening to break out.

"Adam, you gonna be helping with the roundup?"

"No, Hoss, you don't really need me for that. I thought I would go up to the lumber mill and timber camps and get some work done up there before we leave on the drive. Over the next two weeks, I'll draw up some preliminary plans for the lumber mill expansion and see about ordering new saws and other equipment. Then when I go up there, I can do some measuring so that I can finalize the plans when I get back from the drive. It will probably take months for new saws to get here so there will be plenty of time to do that. I'll have to see what kind of contracts are out there for milled lumber too and what length and types are the most popular."

"Son, just remember that we need the money from the drive to pay for some of those things you want to order."

"Pa, I've got about three hundred dollars to invest. I can't think of a better investment than an expanded lumber mill for the Ponderosa. That should be enough to place the orders. We can pay the rest on delivery once the drive is over."

Ben looked at Hoss and Joe who nodded. It made sense to them as well. Ben didn't dare mention anything about Adam investing his own money in the Ponderosa. If he wanted to do that, then it was even more evidence that he was committed to this project, and there was nothing that would ever stop Adam once his mind was made up that he needed to do something. From that point on, the discussion turned to the dance that was coming up and Adam's promises to Rosalie Morton.

"Joe, you reckon she's gonna wear them boots she's always wearing? Older brother's gonna have to watch out for his toes ifn she starts a hopping around in those."

"He better watch where his hands go too. We just might get to see our older brother slapped right in the middle of the dance floor."

"Just so he don't drop down on one knee again. Joe, I was plumb shocked when he did that. I thought he was a gonna ask her to marry him after all she said he done."

"No, Hoss, our older brother sees marriage as poison ivy. It's something to be avoided at all costs cause it makes him uncomfortable all over."

"I have the impression that all of my sons have that attitude about marriage. I'm not getting any younger, you know. I'd like to know that when my sons inherit the Ponderosa that there would be someone coming after them to take over."

"Now, Pa, ain't the oldest one supposed to marry up first? So, you can see that Joe and me are just biding our time waiting on our older brother here to do what's his job to do. He needs to get hitched up so we can."

"How did I ever get tangled up with you two?"

"You're just lucky, I guess. Now, Adam, Hoss and me want to know. Are you gonna marry Rosalie?" Hoss snickered and Joe barely kept the giggle at bay.

"She seems more your type, Joe. Feel free to ask her. I'm sure she would say yes to you. You both like to break horses and race so you could do that on your honeymoon."

"She is kind of pretty, Adam. If I married her, I wouldn't be breaking horses on my honeymoon. Maybe that's why you aren't married. You seem to have some confusion over why a man wants to marry a woman. Besides, I got my sights set on that gal at the mercantile you seem to like to talk with so much. Believe me, if I was with her, we wouldn't be spending our time talking."

"Joseph, I would like to remind you to keep a proper respect for women."

Ben's admonition to his youngest son ended that spat of teasing, but there were many other opportunities in the days leading up to the dance. Adam dressed in a vest and jacket for the dance which was more than he usually wore to a simple dance. He suspected that Rosalie might dress up as much as she could, and he didn't want to disappoint her. They had a little show to put on for people, and he thought he had dressed the part. He didn't analyze his feelings at all assuming that he felt that way because he was a bit sorry for how he had treated her when he was angry about the cheating in the race. She had only been trying to help her brothers, and he couldn't fault her for that motive. Hoss and Joe could hardly contain themselves when they saw him but waited until they were outside to begin the teasing. Adam was using the carriage because the doctor had told him not to ride, and he had found the carriage to be enough of a strain when he had gone to town to order some saws and other material for the expanded lumber mill. He ignored the jibes from his brothers and found that he was actually looking forward to the evening. It was a nice thought that a woman was waiting for him and wanted only to dance with him. He could be gallant and charming, and go home after having done a good deed. He never expected it to be that simple, but it was a nice fantasy.

"You know, Joe, with the way Adam's all sissified up and all and that little smile he's got, maybe he thinks he's gonna have real good luck with the lady tonight."

"Lucky? I don't know. Her brothers would likely force him to marry her then."

"Maybe? Oh definitely. At least our Pa would be happy to have one of us married off."

"Hey, maybe Pa put them all up to it as a way to get Adam married. Pa does like a good mystery. Maybe he set this all up just to get Adam walking down the aisle."

"C'mon, both of you. She's just a kid."

"Hey, she's the same age as me."

"That's what I meant, Joe. She's just a kid. Now, I'll see you at the dance."

Adam snapped the reins and drove the carriage out of the yard before Joe had a rejoinder. Joe did try to throw out an insult as he and Hoss rode by the carriage, but Adam was singing so it was unlikely he heard anything which greatly frustrated his youngest brother. Hoss was waiting outside the dance hall when Adam arrived. Joe had gone to walk Joelle to the dance as he had asked her to attend the dance with him and she had accepted. Hoss walked in with Adam and noted that Joe had already arrived with Joelle. Adam saw that Rosalie had not yet arrived so he sat in a chair and talked with several of his friends who asked him if he was keeping his promises. He acted somewhat offended that they would question that, but the smile that he had showed that he wasn't upset. When Rosalie walked in with her brothers, Adam realized that he was pleased to see her. She walked right up to him and waited for him to say something. He reached for her hand.

"Miss Rosalie, I believe that you promised to dance at least three dances with me so would you consent to be my partner for the next dance?"

Surprised at how Adam had phrased the question, Rosalie stammered a bit until she was able to say yes. Her cheeks reddened because she had meant to come in and act strong and confident but Adam's debonair ways had already nonplussed her. They waited silently until the dance ended and another one began. It was a slow dance, and Adam was sure he saw his brothers grinning so he knew they had arranged it. He didn't mind too much though because Rosalie was tense and a slow dance would hopefully allow her to relax.

"Just follow my lead. You'll be fine."

"Of course I'll be fine. I've been to dances before tonight." But Rosalie was anything be fine as she was as nervous as the first time she had ridden a horse. It was exhilarating but scary to be in Adam's arms. He talked softly to her encouraging her, but all she could see were all the people watching the two of them dancing, and she was sure they were waiting for her to make a clumsy move in the handsome cowboy's arms. She did then. She tripped and began to fall, but Adam made a move as if he had dipped her down. He pulled her up then and she nearly cried in relief.

"Relax. We're doing fine and no one will be watching unless you give them some reason to stare other than you look quite beautiful tonight."

That nearly caused her to stumble again, but Adam was ready for it and twirled her around as if the move was something the two of them planned.

"Think of it as running through a bright meadow full of flowers but hand-in-hand with me. You can trust me. I won't let you fall."

That nearly made Rosalie chuckle as she remembered their last close encounter. "Will you catch me the same way you held me on your horse?"

That statement surprised Adam who began to smile. "Whatever you wish, my lady."

"You wouldn't dare?"

"Only if it was something my lady desired."

"You are a pig."

"There, now you're relaxing. It's much easier to dance if you relax into the music."

They were quiet for the rest of that dance, and by the end of the second dance which was a reel, Rosalie was smiling but she quickly made it a scowl at the end of the dance when Adam mentioned that she had a lovely smile.

"Would you like a cup of punch now and then I could introduce you to some of my friends."

"You are good at keeping your promises at least."

"I always keep my promises."

With that, Adam led Rosalie first to the punch bowl and then to a small group of his friends. Within a few minutes, three of them had asked Rosalie to dance. It was warm in the hall so Adam walked outside to cool down. He was only there a few minutes when Joelle joined him on a bench not far from the door.

"Are your promises kept now?"

"No, I believe I owe the young lady one more dance, but the next three were already taken so I decided to cool down. It was warm in there."

"A bit warm perhaps, but maybe it was because you were enjoying yourself too?"

Unwilling to commit to a positive answer, Adam hedged. "That was a lot nicer than I expected. At least she didn't slap me."

"She looked like slapping you was the last thing on her mind. She seems quite taken with you."

"She's only a kid."

"She's well past the age when most women out here marry. She's a young woman, but you already know that."

"I thought you were with Joe. What are you doing out here alone?"

"I'm not alone. I'm with you, and when Hoss cut in for a dance, there were several ladies vying for Joe's attention. I thought I would take a short walk until he's ready to dance with me again."

Adam was disappointed that Joe's entirely innocent actions had however fueled the misgivings that Joelle had about his youngest brother. "I'm sure Joe is doing his best to extricate himself from the ladies so that he can be with you."

"I don't know. He seemed to be enjoying himself. What about your lady?"

"She is hardly my lady."

"But are you going back inside to dance with her?"

"I owe her one more dance so at some point I will. I wanted her to have a chance to dance with other men so that I was not monopolizing her time over some silly wager gone wrong."

"Adam, what are you doing out here with Joelle?" Joe had walked outside and was very surprised to see Joelle seated on a bench with Adam.

"Actually, I was out here, and Joelle came out to get some air. We are not doing anything except that."

Joe offered Joelle his arm. "Well, then, you won't mind if I escort her back inside for some dancing."

Adam heard Joelle whisper Jealous too! as she stood. He shook his head just a little. He didn't see much future for the two of them, but then again, Joe seemed to bounce back quickly from every failed romance. He would find someone else soon enough. Joe and Joelle had barely left when Rosalie was standing in front of Adam.

"You didn't come out here to get away from me, did you?"

"Not at all. I was feeling very warm in there and thought some cool night air was a good idea. Joelle was out here for a few minutes for the same reason."

"You didn't come out here together?" Adam looked at her as if asking why she wondered about that. "I saw your brother looking around for her and then he stomped out here. I thought maybe there was going to be a fight between you."

"No, not over Joelle. She's not interested in me other than as a friend."

"Were you interested in her as more than that?"

"I was at first, but it became clear that we were only going to be friends." Adam was surprised that he answered her questions. Yet she asked them so innocently and without guile, and it was easy to simply tell her the truth.

"Do you think we could be friends?"

"Yes, I think we could be if that's what you wanted."

Rosalie sat beside him then. "I didn't think it was warm inside, and it's kinda cool out here. Makes me wonder if you're sick. You're not sick, are you?"

Adam smiled. "No, I had a run-in with some rustlers about a week ago, and I guess I'm not as recovered as I thought. Once I got out here, I realized I felt a lot better in the cool air and sitting down."

"Is that why you came in a carriage tonight? I saw you. My brothers and I were waiting to see if you'd show up. I didn't want to wait inside and look like a fool if you didn't."

"You speak much better than your brothers. I know they all had some schooling and you rarely attended school, except you sound far more educated than they are."

"Pa said that schooling except for math and writing was wasted on a female, but Ma said that education is what keeps us civilized. She taught me at home when I couldn't go to school. Ma went all the way to eighth grade so she knew a lot. She passed on everything she knew to me, and then she gave me her books. Pa always made fun of her when she was reading, and when she got sick, she gave me those books. She was worried that Pa would burn them or sell them when she died. Now I have them, and it's like having my Ma with me yet."

"I'm glad that you have that." Adam paused a moment. "Are you ready for that third dance?"

"Yes, I would like that, and if you don't mind, maybe we could dance a few more. You're a much better dancer than your friends."

Chapter 7

After several more dances and another cup of punch, Adam and Rosalie walked outside again, but Adam steered her to a bench further from the dance hall. When she shivered a bit as they walked, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her making her smile.

"Your coat is very warm. Thank you."

When they sat on the bench though, Rosalie was still shivering a bit. Adam wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

"If it's too chilly, we could go back inside."

"No, but in the future, I should bring a shawl or a wrap along. I didn't think about how much cooler it would be with a dress on."

"You didn't bring a wrap or a shawl? Maybe I should give you a ride home in the carriage. It's only a little out of my way, and I wouldn't mind at all."

"I don't know if my brothers would approve of that."

"They can ride along with us if they don't trust me."

"What could you do in a carriage that they wouldn't trust you?"

"I could kiss you."

"You could kiss me right now, couldn't you, if you wanted to?" Rosalie turned to look up at Adam, and he leaned down and kissed her gently. "That was nice. Would you do that again?" He kissed her again but with a bit more passion. She leaned into him, and he deepened the kiss moving his tongue along her lips until they parted. He pressed his body into hers as his tongue touched hers. After a minute, he pulled away. She was disappointed. "Why did you stop?"

"Because that's all a man ought to do and perhaps it was a bit more than a man ought to do with a woman whom he is not courting."

"Oh." Rosalie settled against his side as he kept his arm around her. "Adam, I heard my brothers talk about hot kisses, but I never knew what they meant. Now I do. I'm not cold any more."

"You must have been kissed before. You didn't seem nervous about it."

"Yes, but those men were all pushy and grabby. I could hardly say I enjoyed it as I was fighting off their wandering hands. Your kiss was different. I liked it."

"Before I get in trouble with your brothers, perhaps we should go find them and tell them that I'll give you a ride home."

Rosalie agreed, and as they neared the dance hall, her brothers walked outside. They saw Rosalie with Adam's coat around her shoulders and asked if she was all right. She said Adam had been a gentleman and given her his coat when she shivered. That led to her explaining why Adam was going to give her a ride home if they would lead her horse home. They looked a bit leery, but she assured them he was only doing it to be a gentleman because she had not brought a shawl or a wrap. Once they were in the carriage, Adam pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around Rosalie who gave him his coat back somewhat reluctantly.

"Once we get out of town, I'll drive slowly to be safe and you can sit close to stay warm." They chatted for the hour-long ride, and Adam helped her from the carriage when they arrived at her home. The house was nearly dark but there was lantern on the porch. She said it would be enough and thanked him for the ride. He took her hand and kissed the back of it before saying good night and returning to the carriage for the ride home. Rosalie stood on her porch watching the carriage disappear into the darkness and wondered if he would ever be back.

When Adam arrived on the Ponderosa, he heard some noise from the stable and found Joe there muttering and kicking a bucket he had dropped. He walked to be sure nothing was wrong but suspected he knew the reason for Joe's unhappiness.

"Do you want to talk about it or just kick that bucket around for a while."

"What I'd like to do is hit someone."

"I hope that's not me. I was hoping to get a good night's sleep tonight."

"No, it's not you, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"Did you know what Joelle thought about me?"

"Oh, I was afraid it was that. What did she say to you?"

"She said that I'm too popular with the ladies. She said she would never feel secure in a relationship with me, and that being at the dance with me only made her think that even more. She could have been the one, Adam. I really liked her."

"I like her too, but I wasn't up to her standards either. She brushed my romantic overtures away several weeks ago."

"But you kept going in to the mercantile to talk with her?"

"I still like her even if all we will ever be are friends. She is very likable, but she seems very leery of getting involved with a man. I'm not sure what kind of man she wants, but I guess neither of us fit her list of requirements."

Joe dropped down to sit on a bale of hay. "You know, you did make me feel better. It's funny, but knowing she said no to you too makes me feel better about it."

"Well, glad to help out then, little brother. Perhaps I can give you a list of all the women who've said no to me and you can feel great. Say, didn't Hoss ride home with you?"

"No, he said he was having a great time and was going to stay. He plans to get a room and sleep in town. He'll ride back tomorrow. My turn: say, did you have a good time with Rosalie?"

"It was a very pleasant evening. I gave her a ride home because she didn't have a wrap or a shawl so she was chilled."

"Yeah, I saw you walking back toward the dance hall. You two looked very cozy with your jacket wrapped around her as well as your arm. Did you kiss her?"

By not answering that question, Adam gave Joe all the answer he needed. "I didn't see you or I would have told you I was going to give Rosalie a ride home."

"That's when we were sitting out on one of the benches and Joelle was explaining why she didn't think she wanted to spend any more time with me. I wasn't feeling too friendly at that moment. Hell, it was real kick in the teeth. I wanted to hit something or someone. Hoss must have seen the look in my eyes when I walked back in the hall after walking her home because he told me the best thing to do was to ride home. He said maybe I would catch up with you and see if you were all right. We didn't know you were giving Rosalie a ride home. I figured it out when I never caught up with you. I knew that the only way I could have missed you was if you turned at the fork and went toward the Morton place. Glad to see you got home all right, by the way. I'll help you with the carriage if you like?"

"Thank you. That would be much appreciated."

The two brothers worked in companionable silence before heading into the house. Knowing that their father would be worried with only two sets of footsteps in the hallway, Adam knocked softly and opened his father's bedroom door telling him in a near whisper that Hoss was staying in town and would be home the next day. Adam got an equally quiet whisper of thanks before he pulled the door closed and nodded at Joe who had waited to see the reaction. They both grinned at the knowledge that their father still worried about them as much as he did when they were children.

The next morning at breakfast, Ben was confused at the information he had gotten. "So Joe went with a beautiful and charming young woman but she has spurned him because he is too popular and well-liked. Adam went to keep promises made under duress but had a very pleasant time and likes the young woman apparently. Hoss went with no plans and no one on his arm, but he had the best time of all and stayed in town because he was there presumably until the last dance. Is that about right because it seems I never know what to expect with you boys?"

"Yes, Pa, that's all of it except you forgot that Joelle didn't want Adam either. That's important to remember." Joe couldn't help grinning and Ben felt a smile tugging at his lips too.

"I know I'm going to regret telling you that. I already do." Adam was in a good mood though and there was no rancor in the statements. It did get close to trouble when Adam said he was going up to the lumber mill on Monday.

"Adam, the doctor said no work for two weeks."

"Pa, that will be ten days and I'll take a wagon."

"But that's a rough trip from here. You can wait another week."

Joe saw how Adam reacted to that and played the part usually reserved for Hoss. "Pa, don't you think Adam can decide if he feels strong enough to do it. I mean, that will be ten days and that's longer than any of us thought he would do what the doctor told him to do. He must be feeling a lot better now, don't you think?"

"Yes, of course, Adam can make up his own mind. I was only reminding him of what the doctor said to be sure he had considered that." Ben thought that he had done his best to camouflage his initial inclination to tell Adam what to do. It didn't work though. His sons began to chuckle and he had to smile. "It's going to take me some time to get used to this new way of handling things. For the time being, I can only hope you will be patient with me as you were this morning. Now, why don't you tell me more about the dance and who was there."

"I think that Adam only danced with Rosalie. He seemed to be having a good time too."

"I didn't think that Pa necessarily needed a description of what I did. Perhaps you could tell him who else was at the dance?"

"Why? Didn't you notice because all your attention taken by the 'kid' on your arm although she didn't look much like a 'kid' last night, did she?"

"She was nice and we had fun. That's all there is to it."

"Well, I have no one on my arm now that Joelle brushed me off so maybe I should see if Rosalie might be willing to be with me. She doesn't seem to have been won over by you."

"You stay away from her."

"Adam, do you have feelings for this girl? I'm sure Joe would keep his distance if you did."

"No, but I don't like him talking about her like she's some prize to be won. She's a nice woman and deserves to be treated with respect. Now I have some work to do if you'll excuse me. I want to see what kind of surveying equipment we have out in the tool shed."

After Adam left, Ben and Joe talked with Ben cautioning Joe to stay away from Rosalie.

"So you thought the same thing I did. He does like her a lot. I wonder how long it will take him to realize it."

"Do you think she feels the same way he does?"

"From the look she had last night, Pa, she realizes it and is probably just as surprised about it all as my older brother is."

"How are you doing after what Joelle told you?"

"I'll be fine, Pa. I need some time because I don't understand it completely, but I'll get there."

"It seems Joelle may feel that too many women would be pursuing you, and she may want someone a little less of a charmer than you are."

"Yeah, she said something like that. She said she wished she could find someone with the best of me and the best of Adam. She said she liked my joy and my enthusiasm but not the flirting. I guess I did a bit too much of that with her and she didn't like it. She probably thinks I do that with all the women." One of Ben's eyebrows went up and Joe shook his head. "All right, maybe I do, but I'm only trying to be nice and flatter each and every one of them." Pausing to think about what he had said, Joe frowned. "So maybe that could be a problem with more than Joelle. I'll have to see about that."

"Yes, it could be that she saw you chasing after more skirts than hers, and of course, some of those skirts were chasing after you too. There are quite a few stories out there about you and the ladies. She may be wondering if any of that would stop."

"Of course it would, Pa. I would never chase after a woman if I already was in a relationship with another, but now I think I see where some might think that. It's all right to look though, isn't it?"

"Yes, Joe, we all look, but try not to be so obvious about it."

"You're looking too, Pa?"

Joe had that impish grin that Ben knew was best to ignore. If he fell into this trap, he was destined for a lot more teasing. He simply got up from the table saying he had a lot of work to do. Joe wasn't disappointed though. Hoss was due home soon, and Joe could tease him about the dance except Hoss spent most of the day with their father discussing the upcoming roundup and the drive to follow. Hoss was going to be in charge of both and wanted to make sure that he and his father had the same ideas about how things should go. When they didn't, they discussed them until they reached a consensus or at least an acceptance of how it was to be done. By the end of the day, Hoss was more confident and Adam had packed up supplies to take to the lumber mill to work there for a week or so. Adam apologized to Hoss for leaving him one hand short during the roundup and any branding that needed to be done.

"It's not a problem except some of the hands aren't so good with a branding iron and some others don't like to do it."

"Maybe Pa would be willing to help out with that. I would guess he might like to be asked. He's handing over a lot of responsibility to us. It would be nice if we made sure he knew how much we valued his help."

"Did you ask him to help you with the lumber mill?"

"No, but I did show him the order for parts and equipment before I sent it. He approved but I don't think he knew why most of the stuff was needed. It's not something he's spent much time doing. Now branding he's done for over twenty-five years. He ought to have some expertise there that could help."

"When did we start branding?"

"I was probably about ten or eleven. It took that long for us to have enough cows for it to matter. We had a simple brand at first. The brand we have now wasn't used until about fifteen years ago when our herds got a lot bigger and rustling started to become an issue."

"You know, I don't remember any cattle being branded when I was a young'un."

"That's because we kept you away from it. We didn't want you to get upset."

Hoss nodded in understanding and asked Ben later if he had time to help with the branding that might be needed. They usually missed calves in the spring and sometimes found other unbranded cattle with the herd during fall roundup that they had missed in the spring roundup. Any that they were taking on the drive needed to be branded.

Everything went smoothly except when the family went to church services the next day. Joe saw Joelle and did his best to avoid her heading into church first which surprised his family. Adam should likely have done the same. Instead he had to endure comments about him chasing after a girl young enough to be his daughter among other things that were said. Ben took one elbow and Hoss took the other so they could escort Adam into church before he lost his temper. He fumed a bit but was calm by the end of the service. The sermon had been so long, everyone was calm if not actually soporific. Joe rode off before Joelle could talk to him to apologize so she sought out Adam who had the carriage.

"I wanted to apologize to Joe for what I said the other night. I shouldn't have told him at the dance. That was the wrong place to have such a conversation, and I should have been more honest in my reasons. It's not him. It's me and it's what I need that is the real problem. My father was a womanizer and a drinker. He would get in these dark moods, get drunk, and hit my mother. When he wasn't in one of those moods, he was happy and charming and chased after every woman who was willing to be chased. I know you aren't like that and Joe isn't like that either, but it's just too hard for me. I need someone different so that's why I wanted to apologize. Please, could you tell him?"

"I will, and I'm sorry you had a father like that."

"No one else here knows. My mother and I would like to keep it that way. I would hate for any of that to become town gossip. There's so much of that in this town. I suppose you know that especially with all the gossip about you now."

"Gossip?"

"Of course. Tongues have been wagging since Friday night apparently. Working in the store yesterday, I heard all sorts of stories. Apparently there were a number of women watching your every move."

"Well. I'll be gone to the lumber mill for over a week and then on a cattle drive for a month so that should let things calm down. It's happened before and will probably happen again."

Other than the gossip, everything continued to run smoothly for the next five weeks. Adam went to the lumber mill, measured, surveyed, and talked to the men working there to get their opinions on expansion. Hoss managed the roundup without any difficulties, and then he bossed the cattle drive finding that he didn't need to ask much help from Adam. When it came right down to it, he had watched his father and Adam boss drives enough and worked with them when they did so that he knew what had to be done and how to do it. It had only been his lack of confidence that was an issue. By the time they reached the California stockyards, everyone knew Hoss could do the job well. It was when Hoss went to see AnnMarie, that there was a big problem.

Hoss had gotten a bath, got a haircut, shaved, bought a new shirt with Adam's help and wore a tie also courtesy of Adam's help. He polished his boots and wore clean pants. He was so anxious to go that Joe suggested that maybe he needed a drink to calm down first. He had refused and left before he could get teased any more. Once he got to AnnMarie's home, he nearly ran up the front walk. He stood on her porch after knocking waiting to see the woman he was hoping to ask to marry him. "Hello, AnnMarie. I'm here just like I said I would be."

"Oh, Hoss, you didn't get my letter then?"

"Letter? No, I didn't get a letter from you." Hoss had a sinking feeling right then, and it didn't take long for him to know why and that he was likely to feel that way for a long time.

"I haven't seen you in so long. In fact, I only saw you twice. The week when you were here last fall, and then a few days this spring. I never heard from you since then, and well, Hoss, I needed to be with someone who could be here all the time and not twice a year. My son needs a man around not a man who lives on the other side of the Sierras."

"But I thought we had something special. I thought you said you could be patient and wait for me to get things worked out."

"I know I said that, but I found it was a lot harder to do that than to say it. I wasn't strong enough, Hoss. When some of the men here started to come calling, I said no at first, but they came back again and again wondering why, if I already had a beau, I was all alone."

"So you have a beau now instead of me?"

"I do, and he asked me to marry him. I told him that I would but first I had to tell you. That's why I wrote the letter. I hoped you would get it so that we wouldn't have to do it this way, but I can't invite you in. It would be wrong under the circumstances."

"Yeah, I guess it would be at that. Well, I better get back to the hotel then. My brothers are probably waiting for me already. I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I'll be going now. Best wishes to you, and I hope you're happy with the choice you made." Hoss turned away before she could say anything more. He had tears in his eyes and didn't want her to see. He put on his hat and walked away without looking back. When he got back to the hotel, he took off his tie and threw it on the bed when he entered the room he was sharing with Joe.

"Somebody said something about getting a drink. Is that offer still open?"

"It is. Adam and I were just about to go get a drink and dinner. You do want dinner, don't you?"

Hoss nodded, and Joe grabbed his hat and gunbelt as Hoss turned and left the room. He waited while Joe knocked on Adam's door. He answered and looked out to see Hoss standing with his back to him. He looked at Joe with an eyebrow raised. Joe shrugged. They both decided that Hoss would tell them what happened after he had enough to drink.

"I was patient. I put up with a lot in order to see her. I ain't been with another woman since I met her. It's only been a year. Some women wait many years to get married. I told her I was coming, and her answer was to send me a letter telling me she had somebody else already. She even told him she'd marry up with him, before she told me."

Hoss had enough beer to loosen up and tell his brothers what had happened. Neither Joe nor Adam tried to keep up with him. On a normal day, they couldn't and when he was like this, it was improbable that anyone could keep up with him. Joe had a few more than Adam though.

"Yes, Hoss, nobody can figure out women. Joelle said I was too popular so she didn't want me. That's just crazy, ain't it?"

"Women are crazy. That must be why none of us can find a woman to marry up with. You would think by now at least one of us would be married. Women are just too crazy. Don't make no sense why Joelle didn't want you, Joe. Now, Adam, how come Joelle didn't want you either."

"She said I was too dark and moody."

"Well, she got one right anyway."

Hoss laughed then especially when his comment made Joe snort beer out of his nose. The three brothers spent another hour discussing their problems with women, woke up the next morning with hangovers, and then headed for home.

Chapter 8

"I'm sorry, Hoss. I'm afraid the responsibility rests with me. If I had allowed you time to see AnnMarie, then perhaps things could have worked out for you." Hoss had arrived home the day before with his brothers and told Ben the sad news about AnnMarie turning him away.

"You know, Pa, when I was here and she was there, I did blame you. I was getting a lot of bad feelings stored up inside for you. But when I saw her again and she told me she was already seeing a man and ready to tell him she would marry up with him, well, I decided that she wasn't the one for me. I mean it wasn't that much I was asking of her in comparison to what she could get now, was it? I don't think she ever loved me. It made it easier to get her out of my heart."

"Well, I'm grateful for that and for you forgiving me. How are your brothers doing? Joe must still be hurt after what Joelle spurned him."

"Nah, I think once Adam told him what she said when she wanted Adam to give her apology to Joe, well, that helped a lot. He knows now that she's just a mite skittish around men. That ain't the kind of gal for Joe and he knows it. He wants a gal with some spirit. She's a pretty little filly, but she needs a real gentle touch. Adam's too feisty and Joe's too frisky." For a moment, Hoss was picturing himself with Joelle. He liked the picture. He would have been very surprised to find that his father was thinking the same thing. But Hoss decided it would be too complicated especially because of her cutting Joe loose after the dance. It wouldn't hurt to think about her though especially as it kept thoughts of AnnMarie out of his head. What she had done had hurt him, but he meant what he said when he told his father that she had probably never loved him. He wondered why she had seemed to want him to think she did, but that all got too complicated to think about, so he thought about Joelle and how nice it would be to have a gal locally to take on picnics, escort to church, and go to some dances. It was too bad that she had turned away the attention of both of his brothers. He guessed that he didn't stand a chance with her anyway, but he couldn't even try because he was worried about how even that would likely bother his brothers. He was thinking so much he didn't hear his father's next question so Ben repeated it.

"How is Adam doing? I mean, Joe seemed to think he had some feelings for Rosalie, but he hasn't said a word about her since the morning after the dance."

"Oh, he did, but he don't know it."

"What? How could he and not know it?"

"He said her name in his sleep a couple of times. Joe heard him too. We never said nothing cause we didn't want to rile him up, and be careful if you mention her name too. He goes into just staring off into space sometimes when you do that. It's like he's a long way from where you are at that point."

"Rosalie is on his mind then. I wonder what he's thinking."

"You could ask me." Adam had walked into the house and heard Hoss and their father talking by Ben's desk. As usual, they didn't hear him enter. He was the opposite of Joe whose entrance could seldom be missed.

"Dadburnit, Adam, I swear you are part Paiute the way you can sneak up on people."

"I wasn't sneaking up on anyone. I simply entered the house."

"Well, son, I apologize for talking about you when you weren't here, but I meant no harm, and I only asked Hoss about how you were doing, and the conversation naturally turned to Rosalie. Now that you're here, how do you feel about her?"

Adam sighed, looked at the floor for a moment before looking up, and then had a very short answer. "I don't know."

"If you don't know, do you plan to see her to try to discover how you feel?"

"I was thinking I might do that. First though, I want to go to town and get the equipment that's already been delivered to the freight office. I wanted Hoss to go with me because some of the pieces might be very heavy."

"So you only want me along to do the heavy lifting."

"I'll buy lunch and a beer."

"Well, let's get going. No need to waste time here jabbering."

As Adam and Hoss left, Ben smiled. He was very pleased that his two older sons understood each other so well. He worried about Joe though for with all the teasing and kidding, he wondered if Joe was hiding the hurt of what had happened or if he had truly gotten over it. He thought that perhaps now that Adam and Hoss were leaving for town, he would go find Joe to find out if he wanted to talk. Usually he did which was in sharp contrast to Adam who held so much back and Hoss who liked to choose his moments to talk. He found Joe in the tack room and began helping him clean up the tack that had been used on the drive and needed to be cleaned and inspected to see what needed to be repaired if anything did.

"Adam and Hoss went to town. Hoss and I were talking before that though. He seems all right with what happened. I have to tell you that I did apologize for keeping the two of them apart."

"He told us on the way back home that he thought that maybe she had never loved him if she could move on so easily. He's lucky he found out before he committed himself to her."

"How about you? Are you glad you found out what Joelle thought before you fell in love with her?"

"Well, I don't know if I would have fallen in love with her. I like her, but that's a long way from love. I guess her coolness toward me should have been a clue. I thought she was shy, but that's not it. I remind her too much of her father. She never said we're alike, but I suppose that growing up with a father like that makes you see people differently."

"You sound very philosophical, almost like Adam."

"Pa, we're having a good conversation here. Don't ruin it with comments like that."

Both men laughed, but Joe had no idea why his father laughed so hard. It hadn't seemed like the comment was that funny, but he was pleased to see his father relaxed and laughing.

"How about you, Pa? Have you gotten used to the idea that the Ponderosa is going to be run differently?"

"At first, I worried about that, but when the three of you were gone on the drive, I realized that having the three of you working together toward a common goal and getting along was far more important than anything else I could do. I did worry about you while you were gone, but that's a father's prerogative. You'll understand that someday too."

"I think I understand quite a bit already. It's how I worry about you and my brothers except it's probably even more worry."

"Yes, it probably is. I feel all your pain and all your joy as if it was my own. I feel so much better when things are going well like this."

"So when those rustlers had Adam, you must have been hurting real bad."

"Yes, I feared for him and what he had endured, and I feared too about you and Hoss being in danger too because we had to rescue Adam. Any or all of you could have been hurt or killed that day. It's a nightmare fathers have."

"I never thought about you worrying about us that day. I figured we could take care of ourselves. It was Adam who was in danger."

"Yes, Adam was in the most immediate danger, but all of us were in danger and facing the unknown. I am so grateful that you figured out that Adam was using Morse code to communicate with us. Too bad he couldn't have spelled things out better. I wonder why he didn't."

"We talked about that one long night on the drive as we sat under tarps trying to stay dry. He didn't say more because he couldn't remember the other letters. He had to figure out what to say using the letters he remembered."

"How did you get so good at it?"

"When I was real young, Adam taught it to me. I would tap on the bedroom wall at night when I was scared, and he would tap back telling me it was all right so I didn't have to act like a little scared kid and let everyone know I was afraid of the dark sometimes. He can be a really good brother sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Well, he is a good brother but I don't want to tell him that and let it all go to his head. His head is big enough as it is."

The two shared another laugh and talked more about the ranch and what needed to be done next. There was a lot that had to be done, and Joe groaned a little when Ben said that Joe needed to start taking a look at the ledgers too because he was going to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the ranch and he needed to have a better idea of the cash flow for expenses and from income. Joe decided that working as his father's right hand man sounded better than it was in some ways. He was beginning to think that he would be gaining an appreciation for all that Adam had done when working with their father. There seemed to be a lot of time spent organizing, planning, and coordinating work with the hands available and matching skills to tasks. There were so many details to consider that his head felt like it was spinning by the time his father finished talking.

"Joe, it may seem like a lot now, but in time, you'll do some things almost automatically and you will have others in a list organized by what has to get done now and what can wait."

"I never realized how much planning had to go into assigning work."

The next comment made Joe feel as if his father had been reading his mind. "Don't be afraid to ask Adam for help with this. He's gotten bored with doing this kind of rudimentary things, but he is very good at planning and organizing. You could ask him how he did it. It would be like learning Morse code from him. He could tell you things that would make things easier for you and make you more efficient."

After that, Ben and Joe went into the house to look over the ledgers to see how the bottom line was faring. Then they sat down together to write a list of jobs to be completed in the next week and assigned men to each task. Finally, Hop Sing told them that dinner was ready, and Joe realized the day was already gone and all he had done was talk, plan, and organize. He expected his father to bring out the ledgers but Ben said they would do that in the next day or two once Joe felt like he had a handle on organizing the work and making job assignments.

In town, Adam and Hoss did a lot of work too packing the supplies and equipment into the buckboard. Then as promised, Adam treated Hoss to lunch and a beer. They would have been able to head home after that except word had gotten out that Adam was going to be expanding the lumber mill on the Ponderosa. There were several businessmen who wanted to meet with him to see about getting some of the milled lumber as soon as he could start producing larger amounts. Hoss told Adam to go ahead and talk all he needed to talk. Hoss had another beer and then decided to take a walk through town after making sure the horses hitched to the wagon got some water and food. He left them munching on some hay and saw several people he knew. He got caught up on recent events in Virginia City. When he was headed back toward the saloon to see if Adam was ready to go, he saw Joelle stumble and fall dropping her packages into the street. He rushed to her side protecting her by directing traffic away from her and picked up her packages after helping her to her feet.

"You all right there, Miss Joelle?"

"I am except my ankle hurts. I think I may have injured it."

"Well, you just lean on my arm here and I'll walk you to your home. I can carry these packages for ya too."

"I'd like to say that I don't need it, but thank you because I think I might fall again without your strong arm to lean on."

Walking slowly with Joelle beside him, Hoss tried to think of things to discuss to keep her mind off her ankle and the pain she must be feeling. When they got to her house, he helped her inside and then helped her sit.

"Miss Joelle, I think maybe you ought to see a doctor about that ankle."

"No, I've hurt it before. It was broken when I was only about ten, and sometimes it gives out like it did earlier and I fall. It will likely swell up a little but I'm sure that it will be fine after a few days or so."

"You should wrap it up tight to help with the swelling. It would help too to soak it in some cold water first." Hoss thought for a moment about how difficult that would be for her to do. "Maybe I could get a basin of cold water for you to soak it?"

"Hoss, I hate to bother you so much after you've been so wonderful already."

"Aw, it ain't no bother to help a pretty lady. Now if you'll tell me where I can find a basin, I'll go get some cool water and you can soak that ankle."

"Actually I have a small wash tub in the kitchen. If you could help me into there, I could sit with my whole ankle soaking. You could use the bucket by the well to bring in some water."

Hoss offered his arm again and Joelle limped to the kitchen with his assistance. As Hoss went to get some water, Joelle unbuttoned her shoe and slipped it off the injured ankle, Hoss returned and slid the small wash bucket over to her chair and then filled it with the water he had gotten from the well.

"Ah, Hoss, that does feel so much better. Thank you. You have been a big help."

"Once you're done soaking your ankle, I could wrap it up for you."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to stay that long. You've done so much already."

"I'd be happy to help you, Joelle. Adam is in a meeting over at the saloon about selling the lumber he's gonna be making with a bigger lumber mill on the Ponderosa. When Adam gets to talking money and business, it can take a long time. We were in town getting the equipment and supplies he's gonna need. The bigger saws haven't gotten here yet, but they should be here in another week or two."

"Thank you, then. If you're going to stay, we should have some cookies. I baked them this morning. They're in that tin on the counter."

"Miss Joelle, I did think that it smelled real good in here. I'll get some cookies and plates if you tell me where the plates are."

"Hoss, you don't have to call me Miss Joelle. You can call me Joelle. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yes, uh, Joelle, I would like that. I would like that very much."

Joelle told him where to find plates and napkins. Hoss got those and then got a pitcher of cool water and poured two glasses for them to drink with their cookies. They talked for an hour before Hoss said it was probably time to wrap that ankle. He dried her foot and ankle when she lifted her leg from the water. Hoss had gotten a bandage roll from a drawer and proceeded to wrap her ankle very expertly. She was so comfortable with Hoss that she wasn't even embarrassed at all to have her leg bare to the knee as Hoss worked on her ankle. He was very aware of it though and did his best not to look at more than what he needed but he did peek a few times.

"Now are you gonna be all right here by yourself with that bad ankle?"

"Hoss, it feels better than it did. I'll sit with my leg up on the divan as much as I can. I'll be fine. Thank you so much for all your help, and I did enjoy sitting with you and talking."

"Joelle, I enjoyed it a lot myself. Maybe it would be all right if I stopped back in the next time I'm in town to make sure you're all right?"

"Hoss, I would like that very much. You are a special kind of man, and I would be very pleased to be able to spend more time with you."

"Thank you, Joelle. Now I best be going. Adam may be wondering where I am."

Adam was wondering. He had found the horses had been watered and fed, but no one had seen Hoss for well over an hour. He was beginning to wonder until he saw Hoss walking back with a small smile. He climbed onto the wagon seat and waited for his big brother to climb up too.

"That looks suspiciously like cookie crumbs on your shirt."

"Yes, they are. Joelle makes some mighty fine frosted cookies. I don't know that I ever had a frosted cookie before, but I've decided that I like them better than any cookie I've ever had."

"You went to see Joelle?"

"Nah, she fell in the street and hurt her ankle. I helped her home, and then I got some water for her to soak her ankle. We talked and had cookies. Then I bandaged up her ankle for her before I came to see if you were ready to head on home. She said she wouldn't mind me visiting again." Hoss suddenly had a worried look. "You're not upset about that, are you?"

"Not at all. It's our younger brother who will have to get used to the idea although it's been almost two months now so perhaps that's not much of a concern either. I like her, and I hope that things work out for the two of you."

"Ah, Adam, it ain't the two of us. We're just friends."

"I saw the smile and the look in your eye. It's more than that, but you don't have to admit it to me if you don't want to."

"You always was good at reading me. Adam, she said I was a special kind of man. She said she liked that I was strong but gentle, and that I was so easygoing but got done what needed to be done. She said she liked everything about me."

"I'm guessing that she might have one of those smiles and a twinkle in her eyes right about now too."

Hoss got that all shucks kind of look which made Adam smile. He was glad that Hoss was already finding someone to make him forget all about AnnMarie. Adam had never liked her much thinking that she was too guarded in her expressions and her conversation. He hadn't been with her much but it had been enough for him to dislike her. He was glad that she was no longer in the picture and was very pleased that Hoss was happy again. He thought it would be interesting to see if their relationship turned into something more than the friendship that Hoss claimed it was. Hoss wanted to change the subject so he asked Adam about Rosalie.

"I haven't seen her since the dance so there's nothing to talk about there."

"Isn't there. Joe and me heard you say her name when you was sleeping and dreaming on the drive. She must be on your mind."

"She's too young. She and I don't have much of anything in common. What would we talk about? Anyway, her family doesn't like me so it wouldn't ever happen anyway."

"Seems to me you're trying to talk yourself out of feeling the way you feel. You should know by now that what's in your heart ain't always sensible and logical. It just is. You need to go see her and find out what's in that heart of yours. I think you'll know when you see her."

Adam was quiet for the rest of the ride home. Hoss didn't mind although he did take the reins because it seemed Adam was a bit distracted by his thoughts. As Adam leaned back, he thought about all the things that Hoss had said and all the arguments he had been having with himself about Rosalie. He finally decided that Hoss was correct. He needed to go see her and talk with her. Just before they arrived home, he told Hoss that.

"Well, see, I knew that sometimes I could be smarter than you." All he got for that was a light punch in the shoulder, but Adam was smiling so it was in good humor. That evening, Ben and Joe never guessed what had happened that day for Hoss and Adam. They were all simply happy to have a pleasant evening at home with everyone in a good mood.

Chapter 9

The next day, Adam took the supplies and equipment to the lumber mill and filled the storehouse. He saw that the men had cleared the area for the expansion as well as milling the lumber they would need for the project. The wood was being cured by the sun and would be ready when they needed it. Next he had the foreman look over the map for the expansion of the mill ponds. He was going to have the existing pond expanded and filled to capacity at all times and the new pond to be dug would be the one they used on a daily basis. If the water level got too low, then the lower pond would be filled by the upper one to keep them up and running on schedule. The foreman liked the plan and made a few suggestions on how they could increase or decrease the water flow depending on how many saws had to be operating. Adam told him that eventually he wanted the saws running on steam power. He had seen some of the efforts that were being made to make that happen. It would make their lumber mill more efficient because their water supply sometimes ran rather low in the summer. Fuel wasn't a problem though so a steam engine system would work for them. He had a lot of time to think while he was driving the wagon and then as he lay on the cot in the office trying to sleep that night. When he arrived home the next day, he asked Hop Sing to heat bath water for him. Once he was bathed, shaved, and in clean clothing, he saddled up Sport and rode out without telling anyone where he was going. Ben asked at dinner when he noted that Adam was gone.

"He probably went to see Rosalie."

"Hoss, why do you assume that he probably went to see Rosalie?"

"Cause he took a bath, shaved, and put on clean clothes."

"But Adam would likely do that after two days of hard work anyway. There must be another reason."

"He did mention two days ago that he ought to go see her and talk to her kinda to find out how he felt about her. Now don't nobody say nothing to him about me saying that. I'm not sure he meant that it was all right for me to share that especially cause he rode off today without saying anything to anyone."

"He say to someone." Hop Sing had brought a pie in as the men finished the main course. "He say to me to tell he go see Miss Rosalie."

"Hop Sing, why didn't you say something earlier?"

"Mr. Ben, Mr. Adam say to tell if anyone worried he gone and not eat dinner. He say he be back in few hours."

"Thank you, Hop Sing. Well, I guess we'll find out what happened in a few hours if he's willing to tell us." There was nothing else to say. At Rosalie's house, Adam had found quite a bit to say and heard quite a bit too. He had ridden into the yard of the Morton home to find Augie chopping wood and looking very unhappy and perhaps even downright hostile on seeing him ride in. Brent walked out of the stable, and there was no question that he was hostile. Adam dismounted and walked to Augie as Brent walked from the stable to join them.

"I oughta pound you into the ground."

"I'm sorry that you lost so much money on the race, but you did cheat."

"I ain't talking 'bout that. I'm talking about how unhappy you made our sister. She hardly smiles any more. Some people in town say that she's your gal, but you ain't been by even once to see her. Other people are talking that you made a fool out of her and out of us. That don't sit too well with any of us. Pa said we oughta shoot ya the next time we saw ya."

"I'm glad you didn't. I'm sorry if Rosalie has been hurt by the gossip. It's something that my family has learned to ignore. I didn't realize that she was being talked about that way. If my actions have caused any hurt to you and your family, I do sincerely apologize to you and I will apologize to Rosalie if I get a chance. I was hoping that I could talk with her."

"She's with Pa breaking some horses."

"She's breaking horses!"

Augie and Brent smirked at the surprise and disbelief from Adam. Brent motioned with his finger that he would lead Adam to his sister. Augie went back to chopping wood thinking that perhaps they had misjudged Adam, and if they hadn't, their Pa could handle it. Adam rounded the stable expecting to see Rosalie on the back of a wild horse. Instead she was leading a horse around the corral holding his head close to her as she stroked his cheek and talked to him. She had a blanket on the back of the horse and it was easy to see that the horse found that unpleasant, but whenever he moved to try to shake it off, she stopped and moved the blanket around on his back with one hand as she continued to hold the reins that kept his head down. When the horse calmed, she began walking him again. Amazed, Adam turned to Brent.

"How long has she been working with that mustang?"

"Just today. It usually takes her a couple of days to get them used to a saddle. Then when she says the horse is ready, one of us will try to ride him. Usually it works. It's why we have such spirited horses. If we were as good a riders as Rosalie is, we coulda won that race with you boys easy."

"Maybe, and maybe not. We have some very spirited horses too. How long have you been breaking horses this way?"

"We don't break 'em as much as make 'em our friends. Rosalie is a natural at it. She does it better than any of us. Pa says she's got a natural touch with animals. Our Ma got us started on trying to do it this way. She was Scottish and I guess she learned some things about raising horses before she came to America and then married our Pa. Pa wasn't all sold on doing it this way until Rosalie started doing it. She's really good."

"Yes, she is. She has a gift."

Brent noticed how Adam looked at his sister and how he talked about her. Like Augie, he began to wonder if maybe there was something between him and their sister. It would be up to their Pa though to decide whether to let him talk to Rosalie. When their father finally noticed Adam was there, he had a look that was far more hostile than her two brothers had been. Adam steeled himself for more criticism but all Mr. Morton asked was why he was there.

"I had hoped to talk with Rosalie. I'm sorry that I didn't let her know I was coming over but I was gone on a cattle drive and then after picking up equipment and supplies in town, I was up at our lumber mill. Augie told me about the ugly gossip. I am sorry about that. I didn't realize that there was talk that hurt her."

"Well, I guess none of that was really your doing. You can talk to her ifn she wants to talk with you. We'll be watching though if she does so you mind yourself or you'll answer to me."

"Yes, sir, I will." By that point, Rosalie had noticed that Adam was there. She released the horse with which she had been working and walked to the corral fence. She stood as if waiting for Adam to explain himself so he did. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you sooner. I was up at the lumber mill, then on a trail drive, and then up to the lumber mill again, but I should have found some time to come over here to see you. I've only heard now about the gossip in town. I'm sorry about that."

"Sorry that some people say you made a fool of me or sorry that other people say that I'm your gal so no man in town will so much as say hello to me?"

"I am very sorry that anyone would think that I made a fool of you. You are certainly not that."

"What about me being your gal?"

"I don't know. You're so much younger than I am. Compared to me, you're just a kid."

"When you walked out here, did you see a kid or a woman working with that horse?"

"I saw a very talented woman."

"When you pulled me from my horse and laid me across your lap, was I a kid or a woman?"

"You are all woman."

"When you danced with me, was that like dancing with a kid?"

"No, not at all. That was a wonderful time dancing with a woman."

"And when you kissed me, you must have felt I was a woman?"

"Yes, yes, I did."

With each question, Rosalie had moved closer to Adam until she was inches away by the time she asked the last question. She reached up to put her hands behind his neck and pull his head down for a kiss. Mr. Morton saw that and told Brent that they ought to go rustle up some dinner because Rosalie was busy. Adam wasn't aware they had left until Rosalie broke the kiss.

"Did that make anything clearer to you?"

"Yes, it did."

"Then why didn't you kiss me like you did at the dance?"

"Because I didn't want your father to think I was taking advantage of you."

"They're gone. Unlike you, they know I can take care of myself. Now, about that kiss."

Stepping as close to Rosalie as he could, Adam pulled her into an embrace with his hands at her waist. Then he reached up to touch her cheek and guided her lips to his in a passionate kiss that lasted until they both needed air. Then he kissed her again. All of his doubts and insecurities were forgotten for those moments. When they stopped kissing, Rosalie looked up to see Adam and the worry lines were back.

"What's wrong?"

"You're so young and inexperienced. It makes me fell like I'm taking advantage of you."

"Yes, I'm younger, and I have much less experience in most things than you, but who better to learn things with and who better to experience things with than you? You can't take advantage of me if I'm fully aware of the situation and I willingly enter into it, now can you?"

Remaining silent and thinking, Adam made Rosalie nervous again. She reached up and touched his cheek.

"There is one thing. If we're together, you have to promise to talk with me. You can't hold it inside especially if it concerns me or us. I thought you were willing to talk to me. You did at the dance and then even more as you took me home. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I did find that it was amazingly easy to talk with you. I was relaxed and happy. Right now I'm trying to get used to the idea that we are a couple. It's what I came here to find out, but I guess I thought my logical and rational arguments against us being together would win out. They didn't. I'm falling in love with you, and I can't help myself even if our first encounter was me catching you at cheating. That still does bother me."

"I know I was wrong to do what I did, but my brothers begged me. We don't have the kind of money that your family does and they knew they had made a huge mistake betting that kind of money against you and your brothers. Augie and Brent especially have a tendency to want to brag too much and Joe and Hoss made them back up their claims. Can you forgive me for what I did or tried to do?"

"Can you promise to never do anything like that again?"

"Yes, I can promise you right now that I will never do anything like that again. Unless of course if you ask me to." Rosalie grinned then causing Adam to shake his head.

"I will not ask you to day anything like that. I love you, and I want our relationship and what we do to be honest and straightforward."

"Good, because I started to fall in love with you the day of the race. Then you were so sweet at the dance, I couldn't stop myself. I was so hurt not to hear from you, but I understand now, but don't ever do anything like that again."

"I won't if you'll promise me one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Could you please wear a dress when you're with me? I can hardly think with your, ah, feminine attributes on display. I don't want to think about other men seeing you like this either."

"I can do that. Pa warned me that any man who wanted to be with me would want me in a dress. I don't mind as long as you understand that I need to wear these clothes when I'm working with the horses."

"There are split skirts that women wear."

"I couldn't afford those because I don't sew very well so I'd have to have them made. That's too expensive."

As Adam thought about what he could do to remedy that situation, he smiled and pulled Rosalie close again. "Well then there's nothing to stop us from seeing each other. On Saturday, I would like to come by for you and take you to town for dinner. Sunday morning I would like to pick you up to go to church services, and then afterwards I would like you to take a carriage ride with me. Does that meet with your approval?"

"It certainly does. Now should we seal that with a kiss?"

"You do have some wonderful ideas." Adam kissed her again as passionately as before. When they broke the kiss, Rosalie was nearly breathless but had a question.

"At the dance, you said that kissing like that was for a lady who was being courted by a man. Are you courting me now? I don't mean to pressure you, but I think I have a right to know."

"If you will accept it, I think I may ask to court you, but I think I have to think that through and then I have to ask your father's permission for that too. Shall we go to the house so I can ask your father's permission to call on you?" Adam reached out and traced her lips with his finger. "Perhaps we should stop kissing and talk for a bit so it doesn't look like I've been plundering your lips for kisses."

"Papa must know that's what we're doing."

"Yes, probably, but it would be a courtesy not to be so obvious about it."

"I have to put some of this tack away. You can help, and then we can go up to the house. I'm sure my father and brothers will want to have a drink to celebrate our news. Is that all right with you?" She got a grin from Adam as he offered her his arm and they picked up the tack and headed to the stable.

When Adam arrived home later, it was quite dark and Ben had been worried. He had left a lantern burning outside the stable and was relieved to see that it was Adam who had ridden into the yard. He waited inside for him and greeted him with relief but was also surprised. "Adam have you been drinking?"

"Yes, Pa, I had a drink with Rosalie's father and brothers. They really are quite friendly especially when you're sharing a drink with them."

"It seems you may have had more than one?"

"Yes, they kept thinking of things that we should drink to toast. It would have been rude to say no, Pa, and you told us never to be rude when someone offers you a drink. Or was that Sam, the bartender? I don't know. I can't remember right now, but it's good advice and I followed it to the letter."

By that time, Hoss and Joe were snickering in the background as they realized that Adam was slightly drunk. He rarely had more than one drink, and to see him in this condition after seeing him that way at the end of the drive was remarkable.

"So you have decided to pursue a relationship with Rosalie?"

"Yes, I have. I kissed her, Pa, and that's when I knew."

"What?"

"Don't you remember kissing, Pa?"

"Of course I remember kissing. What did you know?"

"Know about what?"

"What you knew."

"What do I know about what? Pa, do you know what you want to know?"

"Maybe you should go to bed and we can talk in the morning."

"Good idea, Pa. I am tired. I think I'll go to bed and we can talk in the morning. I hope by then that you can remember what you wanted to know. Good night, Pa. Good night, Hoss. Good night, Joe." Adam climbed the stairs and headed to his room for some sleep. Hoss and Joe broke out laughing and couldn't stop for several minutes. Even Ben had to chuckle. It was funny to see Adam who was usually so serious and logical being anything but that. Up in his room, Adam smiled as he undressed because it had all gone rather well. They thought he was drunk so his father had dropped the questioning and let him go to bed. He didn't want to talk about Rosalie yet. He had some thinking to do and thought it would be best if he got to do that without anyone interjecting their opinions. He was thinking that she was going to be a big challenge, but he liked challenges and the reward in this case could be very sweet.

The next morning, Adam awoke early after having some very pleasant dreams. He didn't go downstairs though until several minutes after he heard Hoss and Joe stirring in their rooms. Walking down the stairs very gingerly, Adam proceeded to the table with his head down slightly as if he had a hangover headache. He remembered what they were like so simply mimicked how he had acted when he had had one. He drank coffee and ate two biscuits and some eggs. With a deep sigh, he looked up briefly at his father.

"Pa, I think I'll work on the lumber mill plans in my room today if you don't mind." He was going to say that he was taking Rosalie to town for dinner on Saturday but thought that perhaps Saturday would be a good time to announce that and then on Sunday morning, he could tell them that he was escorting her to church and then on a carriage ride. The less they knew beforehand, the less they could question him. They knew he was pursuing a relationship with her. That was more than enough for them to know. He did spend the morning working on the lumber mill plans, but he often found himself simply staring at those papers and thinking of Rosalie. He had made a big commitment to her already and had to fight down the pessimism that threatened to overtake him. No romance had ever worked out well for him before and his big fear was that this one would not either. He had to think positively though and worked on that as he looked forward to taking her to dinner which would announce to the whole town that he was calling on her. He smiled when he thought of how the gossips would react to that.

Chapter 10

"Joe, are you bothered that your brother is seeing Joelle?"

"No, why should it? We never had anything together. She went to one dance with me. It was the same for Adam when he couldn't get her to be with him and then I did my best to win her over. Hoss turned out to be the kind of man she wanted. I only hope she's not too skittish for him because I would hate to see him hurt again so soon after what AnnMarie did."

"What about Adam seeing Rosalie even though she helped her brothers cheat in the race?"

"Well, I don't see that as a big problem. You all have known for years that I, um, that I'm creative in how I play checkers. Rosalie wasn't doing anything that was so bad. She was helping her brothers. Hoss and Adam would never ask me to cheat to help them, but if they did, I probably would. I blame her brothers, not her."

"Son, I'm impressed with your attitude. I'm proud of you for being so understanding."

"Pa, I'm not a kid any more."

"Now Joseph, weren't you the one who put the frog in your brother's water pitcher this morning?"

"No, Pa, I didn't put a frog in Adam's water pitcher this morning." Joe couldn't hold in the laughter though. "I put it in there last night. I guess he didn't pour out enough water to notice. It must have been a big surprise to him this morning."

"And a costly one. He has to buy a new water pitcher now, and because it won't match the basin, you know he'll buy the set. He could never tolerate a mismatched set in his room for long."

"I know. I offered to give him mine and he only glared at me with those dark eyes of his. He must have gotten that skill from you because he can look pretty fierce pretty fast. But I thought he deserved something for playing that trick on us by making us think he was drunk."

"So you think I look fierce?"

"Only when you're upset, Pa." In a hurry to change the subject, Joe stood to look out the window behind his father's desk. "Looks like my brothers are ready to go. Hoss is using the bigger carriage and Adam has the smaller one."

"Yes, Adam said he wanted to use the larger carriage tomorrow because he invited Rosalie to go on a carriage ride with him. Hoss will be in town both days so it doesn't matter so much which carriage he uses although he's more comfortable in the larger one, but it's only fair that they take turns. Are you going to town too?"

"Yes, later, some of the hands are going in and I'm going with them. If it gets too late, I may take a room in town and meet you at church tomorrow."

"Please take a change of clothing then. I would appreciate it if you didn't smell like a saloon when you're in church."

"Of course, Pa. I'll do that. Thanks for asking instead of telling."

"I'm learning. I know that my sons are more willing to work with me than for me. I've gotten more cooperation with less complaining by doing things this way. Now I wish I had changed things sooner. But don't tell Adam that. I don't want to make things too easy for him. He'll start looking for a lot more changes than I can handle at one time."

"I won't tell, but I don't think you have to worry about Adam bothering you with any more changes. Between the lumber mill and Rosalie, he's going to be plenty busy."

Adam was very busy, but he couldn't remember being happier. He had his family, the Ponderosa, a challenging project that let him use his education, and a woman who wanted to be with him. He hoped it wasn't a dream, and he would wake up and it would all disappear. He mentioned that to Hoss while he was in the stable getting the harness for the carriage horse.

"Now, older brother, even your imagination would never had me and Joelle together so it must be real, dontcha think?"

"That's true, but if I had ever thought it through all the way, I would think that I would have known you were the kind of man she would find attractive. You have the optimism and surety that life is good and you are as thoughtful and considerate as any gentleman I know. You're a strong man with a healer's touch. You're the kind of man she's been trying to find for quite a while."

"What about Rosalie? I don't know her at all. What kind of man was she waiting to find?"

Thinking for a moment, Adam was quiet. Hoss let him think because he knew he wouldn't answer until he thought it through. They finished harnessing up carriage horses and then put on their jackets, hats, and gunbelts. Adam had not answered the question yet so Hoss prompted him again.

"Hoss, I don't know. There's so much I don't know about her yet. That may be one of the things we talk about today or tomorrow. I need to know what she wants for the future before I can decide if I'm the right one to provide it."

At the Morton house, Adam was very pleased to see how Rosalie had dressed for their dinner. She had a very simple green dress, but she wore her mother's necklace and had her hair up with curls slipping loose in the back. He liked the look very much and told her so.

"Adam, this is my best dress, but I only have one wrap and it doesn't match this dress."

"I may have a solution for you." Adam pulled a box from beneath the seat and handed it to Rosalie. She opened it to find an ivory shawl that had tiny roses embroidered along the edges.

"Oh, it's beautiful, but I can't accept a gift that's so expensive. What would people think?"

"No one except your family will know. Now put it around your shoulders and tell me if you think you can give it back." Adam smiled at the look she had as she wrapped it around her shoulders and then smiled up at him.

"Thank you. It's so beautiful. Where did you get it?"

Rosalie saw a bit of a dark look pass over his face before it faded and he answered her. "I bought it for someone else but was never able to give it to her. It was so beautiful that I decided to keep it and hope that there would be a wonderful woman who would appreciate it."

"It was for Laura, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

Adam clipped response let Rosalie know that wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss. "I'll never walk away from you, and I promise to be honest with you about everything."

"Sweetheart, I can't ask you for anything more. Now, let's go to dinner." Dinner conversation was light and amiable. Adam didn't want to discuss anything too serious that might be overheard and repeated all over town spawning rumors no doubt. He planned to have a more serious discussion with Rosalie the next day when they took a carriage ride. The two of them could get to know each other better and share their thoughts. He looked forward to it although chatting about everyday concerns and activities was pleasant too. He talked about his plans for the lumber mill and how he had preliminary orders for wood that could be milled to exact specifications once the new saws arrived. They continued the conversation on the carriage ride to Rosalie's home where Adam kissed her gently before taking his leave to go home promising to be back early the next morning to escort her to church.

Arriving at the ranch, Adam found that Hoss was there as well. "How did your evening with Joelle go?"

"It went real well, I think. She's kinda quiet sometimes and it makes it hard to know what she's thinking, but she said I could come calling again tomorrow, so it musta been all right with her. How about you?"

"We had a very nice dinner and time to talk. Yes, she wants me to come calling again too. Hoss, it still feels like a dream especially with both of us seeing women who want to see us and it looks like it's for the long haul too."

"I know what you mean. I was thinking on it while I was with Joelle. It seems kinda like it's not real, but then it is, and it makes me smile. I guess it's about time, ain't it?" Hoss had kissed Joelle that night before he left. It had been a tender first kiss, and he didn't want to try too much and scare her off, but she was smiling when he left so he guessed it had been all right. He remembered everything that had happened that night as if the details were written in a book inside his heart. She had said she was looking forward to seeing him the next day too. They had talked quite a bit, and she had admitted she was a bit jealous of women her age who were married and had children. He had asked how many children she wanted, and she had said at least four. Hoss couldn't help grinning when she said that.

"Darling, that's the exact same number I was thinking. I always thought I'd like to have sons but then I'd like to have daughters too so four would be perfect ifn it was two of each."

"What if it was four girls?"

"I think that would be a mite near on perfect too. I want a family so much, and I was beginning to think it would never happen for me."

"Hoss, does that mean you think it could happen for us?"

"I know it's only been a real short time, but when I feel love for a woman, then it's fast when I know it's right, and this feels real right to me. I ain't one for pushing and we can go as slow as you want, but you have to know, I want to start courting you and not just calling on you."

Joelle had taken a deep breath and then taken his hand. Hoss had worried then that she would say no. "Hoss, would you mind very much if I thought about that for a time. I don't want to say yes unless I'm sure and I'm ready to be courted."

"You can take all the time in the world that you need, little lady. I'll be waiting on your answer and praying it'll be yes."

"Oh, I think it will be yes, but I have to be sure. I'm getting close to that idea already, but maybe just a little time to get used to the idea will help me."

As Hoss remembered, Adam watched him. He saw the dreamy look he had. Once the harness was put away and the horses had been groomed, watered, and fed, Adam slapped Hoss on the shoulder. "You're in love with her, aren't you? Did you ask her already?"

"Ask her what?" That question for an answer got a headshake from Adam who knew Hoss was trying not to answer, but Hoss couldn't hold back any longer. "Yeah, I asked her if I could court her. She's already leaning toward saying yes and only asked for some time to think on it."

"Well, you must be the right one for her. That's quite a bit more than I thought might happen so soon. Congratulations, Hoss. The two of you deserve each other, and I mean that in a very good way too."

"Thanks. Now how do we do this without Pa and Joe asking too many questions."

"We're very tired, and we both promised to take our ladies to church in the morning so we'll head to bed instead of sitting down for any talking."

It worked reasonably well except Joe asked Adam if he had remembered to purchase a pitcher and basin for his room eliciting a scowl from Adam who had forgotten. Joe laughed and said Rosalie must be the one for him because she had managed to get him to forget something and he never forgot anything. Ben saved an argument from happening by reassuring Adam that Hop Sing had put one of the sets from a guest room into his room. With a good night then, Adam followed Hoss up the stairs.

As expected, the next morning, there were a lot of stares and quite a few animated conversations about the two older Cartwright sons escorting ladies to church. It was as good as announcing that they were courting because ladies were not escorted to church as a casual date. Such an event had the solemnity of a sincere promise to be there at that church again soon for a wedding. Everyone knew it of course including the ladies being escorted. Joelle had greeted Hoss with a smile that morning and said her answer was yes. They were going to talk after church and have lunch. Adam had not yet told Rosalie that he was courting her but planned to ask her and her father that question later that day. Ben watched his sons as they stood beside him in church. Adam stood to his right with Rosalie on his right. Hoss stood on his left with Joelle on his right which also put Joe on Hoss' left where he had no opportunity to cause any trouble by teasing his brothers or the ladies who had accompanied them. Ben couldn't have been prouder than he was that day. He hoped that both relationships worked out because both were good for his sons. He hadn't seen Hoss smile so much in a long time, and it had been even longer to see Adam in such a good mood.

That night, Ben got even better news when both sons told him that they were officially courting. Hoss had wanted to tell his father right after church services but decided that he and Joelle needed to talk some things over first so he could have more answers to questions his father was inevitably going to ask. Adam still had to ask Rosalie and her father so his news was necessarily delayed until that was done. First though, Adam took Rosalie on a carriage ride. High above the lake on the ridge, he found the shade of a large tree and spread a blanket beneath it. He took the picnic basket from the carriage and carried it there where Rosalie was already sitting on the blanket and looking out across the vista before her.

"It's so beautiful here, Adam. I could stare at this all day."

"Yes, I had the same thought." Except Adam was looking at Rosalie, and when she turned to him, she realized that and blushed. Setting the basket beside the blanket, Adam dropped down beside Rosalie and pulled her into a kiss that deepened until both were nearly overwhelmed by desire. Adam rolled onto his back and stared up through the leaves of the tree. Rosalie rolled onto her side and looked down at him. "Sweetheart, I have a question for you."

"Whatever it is, the answer is yes."

Smiling, Adam looked into her eyes. "Are you sure? I was going to ask if I could court you, and I don't want a long courtship. I want to marry you as soon as you and your family will allow it."

"And the answer is yes. Are you sure? Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, I'm as sure as I can be. When I'm with you, I'm happy. When I'm not with you, I think about you and that makes me smile too. I do know it probably won't be easy. We'll have to get used to each other, and we'll have decisions to make, and we won't always agree on the answers, but I trust that you and I can do this. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I'm sure."

"I don't mean to be pessimistic, but are you sure that you can take living with me? I can be difficult at times."

"I can because I know you have those things that I want in a man. You're strong not only physically but morally. You are also gentle and kind. I did love that romantic gesture when you went down on your knees when I was acting so offended that you swatted me. You do know that you better not ever do that again?"

"I promise I will not ever do that again; unless you ask me to." Then he grinned as she scowled in mock anger at him and did her best to tickle him. She leaned down to kiss him then, and they kissed gently and lovingly.

"I knew I could love you like no other man when you kissed me at the dance. You were so considerate of my feelings. You wanted to kiss me, and I knew that you wanted more too, but you wouldn't do anything more than I allowed. Now I want you to do more too, so we probably should get married soon before I say yes to whatever you want to do with me. I would too, you know, say yes to anything you wanted. I dream about being with you, and it's getting more and more difficult to wait. I want to be with you so much."

"Don't say things like that. I'm trying as much as I can to remain a gentleman here. Now, perhaps I should ask your father if I can marry you instead of courting you first. I have to go up to the lumber mill this week, but next Friday, I could be back and we could be married any day after that."

"My Pa and brothers are leaving this afternoon to go catch some mustangs. They're probably gone already so you can't ask my father, but you can ask me."

Pulling Rosalie into an embrace, Adam kissed her gently and then whispered to her. "Rosalie, sweetheart, will you marry me and live with me all the rest of the days of my life?" Her yes was muffled by the kisses they shared when she answered.

"I could fix a nice dinner on Friday night, and you could ask my father then."

"That sounds like a good plan."

Chapter 11

It was a good plan except that week, rain, wind, and just about everything that could go wrong at the lumber mill, did go wrong. The existing saw needed to be repaired. The cornerstones for the expansion were set but had to be reset because heavy rains turned the construction area into a quagmire showing Adam that he needed more substantial cornerstones and foundation walls than he had anticipated. He had to redo part of his plan and the get the cornerstones and foundation stones set so that the workers could begin the construction of the addition. By late on Friday, Adam was surly because he knew that he couldn't get back in time to have dinner with the Mortons and that he knew he was going to severely disappoint Rosalie with no way to tell her why. Friday night there was another storm. On Saturday morning as the men were beginning the cleanup, the foremen apologized to Adam and said that breakfast would be delayed.

"I plan to be well on my way home before you get breakfast going. I'll be back in a week or sooner if the new saws arrive. I'll see about hiring a couple of extra men too if I can find any with experience. Send someone to town for any supplies you need." Then Adam rode toward the Morton ranch cutting a diagonal across the Ponderosa. He arrived there at about eleven. The Morton men weren't too sure what to think of him. He seemed intent on wooing their sister, but he had missed dinner the night before. He walked up to the men when he arrived and dismounted.

"I know. I'll explain, but first I have to explain to Rosalie. Where is she?"

"She's down at the corral behind the stable. She's working with a horse so be careful as you approach. And one more thing: you make her any more unhappy, and you're gonna have a hard time getting back up on that horse of yours."

"I'll do my best not to make things worse." With that, Adam headed to the corral as Rosalie's brothers followed and went into the stable to watch surreptitiously. Adam approached the corral slowly as Rosalie was standing at the head of a large stallion talking very softly to him. She heard Adam and turned briefly to see him and then turned back to the horse quickly so that he wouldn't see her tears. He put his hands on the top rail of the corral and talked softly. "I'm more sorry than you can imagine. There were storms at the lumber camp and I was delayed. I had to get the work done. I don't know how else to say how sorry I am other than to say it again."

"You look like you haven't been home."

"I didn't go home. I know I need a bath and a shave, but I had to see you. I knew yesterday how awful this was going to be. If you want to change your mind about being with me, I understand. I have this thing about work, and it drives me. Sometimes that makes me hurt the ones I love. Is there anything else I can do to let you know how sorry I am?"

"No, you already did it. You came here to tell me knowing how upset I would be and how angry my brothers are. I'm kind of surprised they let you walk back here to see me. They were ready to tear you limb-from-limb last night."

"I think they still feel that way. I'm sure they're watching to see if they have to carry out the threat they made."

"They threatened you?" Adam nodded when Rosalie turned to look at him briefly. "They will have to learn not to do that. I can't have my brothers and my husband at odds like that." When she turned around then, Adam was grinning.

"I don't deserve you, but I'm very happy you accept me the way I am. Is there anything I can do to help you with that horse?"

"Yes, he seems interested in you, so very slowly walk in here. Be careful not to swing the gate quickly or do anything sudden until he gets to know you better."

Doing as instructed, Adam walked slowly until he was beside Rosalie in the corral. She guided his hand up to the horse's cheek and told him to talk softly to the horse. Soon, the horse was as relaxed with the two of them as he had been with Rosalie. Adam asked what they would do next.

"Normally, I would ask one of my brothers to mount up and see if he could ride him while I led him and kept his head down. They have experience doing this with me and with my father. Do you think you could do it?"

"If you think I could."

"Remember to do everything slowly and wait if he gets nervous or at all skittish. We don't have to do this today. I don't want either of you to be hurt."

Following her instructions carefully, Adam mounted up after adjusting the stirrups to fit his longer legs. Rosalie led the nervous horse around the corral until she felt confident that he wouldn't buck. Then she told Adam to let him go around the corral on his own but to rein him in if he tried to go faster. She unhooked the lead rope then and let Adam ride him. After a half hour, it was clear that the horse wasn't fighting the reins at all.

"That's a surprise. I thought he would resist this. Now comes the big test though. Are you up for me opening the gate into the larger corral? If he's gonna make a run for it, this is when it will happen."

When Adam agreed, Rosalie made a small wave at the stable to summon her brothers who she knew had to still be watching. She told them to mount up and get into the large corral ready to help Adam if the horse decided to fight after all. All went well until their father walked around the stable and saw Adam on the stallion.

"What's he doing on one of our horses!"

The stallion began bucking suddenly almost unseating Adam who had a wild ride for a half minute until Augie and Brent could get their horses on either side and help calm down the big stallion. Once the big horse stood panting then between the two flanking horses, Rosalie walked over with a lead rope and attached it to his halter pulling his head down.

"All right, Adam, you can slide off now. He'll be fine."

Brent and Augie nodded impressed by Adam's skill knowing that either of them would have been in the dirt if they had been on that stallion.

"Thank you, Adam. Once we get him tamed, he's going to do a lot to improve the breeding of horses here on the ranch." Mr. Morton was at their side then demanding an explanation. "Adam was working up at his lumber mill and couldn't get back. He's apologized and has a question for you, I believe."

Shrugging at her suggestion, Adam turned to face her father. "Mr. Morton, I do apologize to you for missing dinner last night. As Rosalie said, I was at the lumber camp and things didn't go well. I had to stay to make sure the mill could be up and operating again. I had hoped to ask you this last night, but Rosalie still seems to be willing despite my disappointing her. Sir, may I have the hand of your daughter in marriage?"

Rosalie's father looked at her. She nodded and smiled. He looked back at Adam. "I woulda thought you coulda shaved and cleaned yourself up before coming here to ask me that, but I guess you were in a hurry to see her. Well, she wants ya and that's good enough for me. Welcome to the family." He reached out his hand to shake Adam's and then her brothers were there to shake hands too as well as slap Adam on the back and tell him he didn't know what he was getting himself into by marrying their sister. "Now, you think you can come back here tonight for dinner all proper dressed up and such?"

"Yes, sir, I would be honored to be back tonight. Thank you."

Two days later, Rosalie had a question for Adam. "Where are we going?"

"To the dress shop. I want you properly attired for our honeymoon."

"We're having a honeymoon?"

"For a couple of days, yes, we are having a honeymoon. Now, once you get what you need, we'll drop those things at the hotel. I'll go make arrangements with a minister while you get what you need. Then we'll get married and spend the next two days together. I wish it was more, but I need to get back up to the lumber mill by midweek."

It was Monday morning. Adam had returned to the Mortons for dinner on Saturday night. Kissing Rosalie in the moonlight, and then again as often as he could the next day and evening had tested Adam's resolve to remain a gentleman. Rosalie though had felt much the same way. When he rode up on Monday morning to see her again, she had suggested they elope. She wrote a quick note to her family and then got a horse and rode with Adam to the Ponderosa where they saw Hoss and told them what they were doing before going to Virginia City where Adam had some business to do. Once that was completed, he had walked her to a dress shop after making a reservation for a large suite at the hotel.

At the door of the dress shop, Adam stopped and looked down at Rosalie. "Any doubts?"

"None at all."

With a smile then, Adam opened the door to the dress shop and followed her in. Not many men ever entered a dress shop, but these women recognized the oldest Cartwright son. "We are getting married. I want you to outfit her with a beautiful dress and anything else she needs. I want her to have a split riding skirt and blouse as well as a nice hat to shield her from the sun. Then add in any other garments that you think she may want or need for the next two days. Put it on a tab for me and I'll pay whatever it is when I get back."

"Adam, I don't need all that."

"Yes, you do, and more, but this will have to do for now. I'll be back in an hour. I hope that's enough time."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Cartwright. That should be enough time. We'll get busy as soon as you leave."

Already dressed in a nice shirt and tie with his best jacket because he had brought them along for a business meeting, Adam stopped at the jewelry shop he had seen down the street from the dress shop. He picked out several items and had them packaged. Then he asked directions to the minister's home and went there to make arrangements for a wedding ceremony. In an hour, he was back at the dress shop. Rosalie was in a green dress, but this was no simple dress. It was dark green with ivory trim matching the shawl Adam had given her. She had hurriedly packed that and a few items in her saddlebags before they rode out. Now she had boxes of items on the counter. Adam paid the bill and asked if all of that could be delivered to the hotel and put in their suite. It could be so he offered his arm to Rosalie and wondered why her smile seemed a bit forced.

"Is it always going to be like this? It's kind of overwhelming."

"No, but time is limited now so I hope I didn't offend you by making so many decisions and rushing you along. You can still say to wait."

"No, but I would like a chance to catch my breath a little. This has been a lot already for one morning."

"We can have lunch. The minister said that he would meet us at the church. He has some work to do there and will be there all afternoon. Does having lunch appeal to you?"

"I'm not sure I could eat anything, but it would be nice to have the break even if all I have is tea and biscuits. I have to tell you that I don't really mind that you're in charge and making all the decisions, but I wish you would tell me first what we're going to do. If you don't, this could get to be a problem between us."

At first inclined to be irritated by that, Adam finally had to smile. "I guess I am my father's son especially in liking to be in charge. I will talk with you in the future and get your input even if I make the final decision. All right?"

"Why do you find it so hard to talk with people?"

"I don't know. I wish I could talk more freely about how I feel, but I can't. I sometimes feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders but then a laugh or a kind word from one of the family makes me feel so much better. I wonder if they know how important they are to me because I do have a difficult time saying it to them. I hope they know that when I yell or argue, it's because I care and that I shed tears inside each time one of them is hurting. Maybe with your help, I could be more open. I'll try. With you, I've already been more open than I usually am with my family."

"That's very sweet. Maybe you could say something like that to your family sometime."

"Maybe I could. You make my heart feel lighter. Do you think you might like some lunch now?"

"Yes, thank you. Maybe I could eat something now."

After a leisurely lunch and then a walk to the church, Adam and Rosalie were married by the minister who did ask them if they perhaps should wait for their families to be in attendance for such a momentous occasion in the lives of two families. Both declined so he married them. Adam pulled the ring he had bought that morning from his pocket and placed it on Rosalie's finger pledging his troth as she had done before him. The minister folded their marriage certificate into an envelope, and Adam gave him a generous donation for his church. By then it was late afternoon, and Adam and Rosalie walked arm-in-arm back to the hotel.

The ladies who worked in the dress shop had been discreet and had not spread the tale that Adam and Rosalie were getting married. When people saw Adam and Rosalie walking to the hotel, that news spread rapidly. Finally Adam and Rosalie were in their hotel suite alone. She began unbuttoning his shirt.

"So I finally get to see what's been peeking out of your collar all these years?"

"You can see all of me very soon. I want to see all of you too."

Adam and Rosalie began undressing each other but there was a knock on the door and they heard the roar of Rosalie's father as he demanded that the door be opened. A shirtless Adam did as Rosalie quickly grabbed a robe to cover herself. Rosalie's whole family crowded into the room and between Adam and Rosalie.

"How dare you take my daughter to a hotel!"

"We got married so she's my wife now and there's no reason we can't go to a hotel."

"You got married?"

"Yes, Rosalie left a note for you."

"Yes, Papa. I left it on the table. You must have gotten it if you're here."

"You said the two of you were going to plight your troth here in town and would be at the hotel. I figured that plight your troth was, you know, something married folks do. Why didn't you say you was getting hitched?"

"I did. I said we were going to go through the sacrament of matrimony."

"Now what the heck is that?"

"It means we went to the minister to get married. I wanted to get married in church and Adam did too."

"Geez, ifn you'd a said you was tying the knot in front of the preacher man, I woulda known what you meant. So you're all hitched official like and all?"

Rosalie showed the ring on her left hand as Adam picked up the envelope with the marriage certificate and pulled that out to show to Rosalie's family.

"Well, don't that beat all. Well, c'mon boys. We don't want to keep 'em from doing, well, you know, what we thought they was doing before we knew they was married."

After Rosalie's family trooped out of the room, Adam closed the door and turned to Rosalie who looked worried. Adam stepped to her and gathered her into his arms. "What's wrong?"

"That didn't upset you? I was afraid you would be upset with me."

"Not at all. My family may take some getting used to as well. Now where were we before we were interrupted." Adam and Rosalie began to kiss and suddenly there was another knock on the door. Adam wondered what the Mortons had forgotten to say on their last visit. He opened the door to find his father and Joe standing there. Ben looked shocked to see Adam shirtless.

"Adam, the news is all over town that you took Rosalie to the hotel. I didn't want to believe it, but here you are."

"Pa, we got married." Rosalie raised her left hand again and Adam handed the marriage certificate to his father.

"Why didn't you let us know?"

"We did. I told Hoss to tell you."

"I haven't seen Hoss since breakfast. Joe and I were going over the ledgers and decided to come into town to talk to Hiram and the bank about some business ideas. Then we heard the news, and I am sorry that I believed it. I should have known better."

"Thank you, but could you leave now? I'm on my honeymoon, and I only have two days. We'll talk later like perhaps next Sunday."

After Ben and Joe left, Adam and Rosalie again began kissing only to be interrupted once more. Adam answered the door and their dinner cart was there. He pulled it into the room and tipped the desk clerk who had brought it up. He closed the door then and walked to the bed taking off his pants as he did so. "I am not answering that door again. Anyone else knocks, we tell them to go away."

"What about dinner?"

"I think it's going to get cold."

Three months later, Ben stood beside Adam and Rosalie as Joe stood beside Hoss as he married Joelle in a formal ceremony. There had been a big party at the Mortons to celebrate Adam's marriage to Rosalie although the Ponderosa supplied not only most of the food but all of the beverages. For Hoss' wedding, they were using the dance hall in town for the party because it was too cool to have the kind of big outdoor party like Adam had. Ben had seen Adam place his hand on Rosalie's lower abdomen that morning when they weren't aware he was watching. He suspected there was going to be another addition to the family in about six or seven months. When the ceremony was completed, Hoss and Joelle received everyone at the door of the church. Adam had coached Hoss on what to say so that guests felt that they were hearing something special just for them. Hoss had memorized about five different greetings and used them in order. By the time he used the fifth one, everyone who had heard the first one had moved out of hearing. Ben thought it was humorous that his sophisticated eldest son had eloped and had a very strange first night with his bride while his more easygoing son had the formal church wedding and was going on a trip to San Francisco for their honeymoon. He looked out over the crowd and saw Joe chatting first with one woman and then with another. He shook his head wondering how anyone would ever manage to snare that one, but he smiled as he looked back at his two older sons walking with their wives to the dance hall. Life was good, and he thought it had gotten a lot better since he had made some changes on the Ponderosa which had helped reduce the tension among the four men as well as seeming to give some confidence to his sons to pursue goals. He walked up to Adam in the dance hall and put a hand on his shoulder.

"How are the house plans going?"

"Very well. We should be able to build in spring."

"Just in time then."

"Just in time for what?" Except Adam smiled as did his father because Adam understood then that his father knew. "I suppose with three wives and three sons, you did get used to what it was like. She is even more, ah, loving now then when we first were together."

"No problems then?"

"Not with her health. We saw Paul and he pronounced everything normal."

"With what then?"

"We are, ah, discussing how long she can continue to help her family with the horses. They only do a little work in the winter, but in spring, they get very busy. I don't want her working with horses when she's that far along. She thinks that what she does has no danger in it, but I disagree. One jerk of the reins or pull on a lead rope and she could fall. Even worse things could happen."

"Perhaps when she becomes more heavy with child, she'll reconsider her position. You have several months before that happens. How is the lumber mill doing?"

"We've started production. With all the contracts and buyers, the mill will be turning a profit in a short time. The demand has been excellent, and we can sell cheaper than any of our competitors because our overhead is lower and we have shorter distances to go to deliver our products here."

"The prices aren't too low, I hope."

Smiling, Adam nodded. "I learned from a very astute businessman. Our prices are only low enough to corner the market. Our profit margin is quite large."

"Adam, I'm very proud of you and what you've done. I waited far too long to let you make some changes around here. I know now that all of my sons needed me to make some changes."

"Well, Pa, then I have a list of ideas for you to read."

Ben rolled his eyes but smiled. Life was indeed very good for him and the other three corners of the Ponderosa.


End file.
